When Nothing Else Makes Sense
by bebravelauren
Summary: When Laurel Dawson, Rose and Jack's daughter, who could care less about money and really only cares about family, friends, and becoming an artist, gets a new art teacher, she soon learns that they share more than just a love of art... Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! I love this story! I have been working on it for SO long, it's not even funny. I just had to wait until I got it completely developed before I published… or even talked about… it. Oh my gosh! I just can't wait to hear what you guys think so PLEASE review! This is very similar to Emma, only different. It'll be good, just trust me. If you liked Emma you'll LOVE this :) Anyways, sorry for the stupid A/N, I'll just get to writing. **

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

_December 2__nd__, 1926_

_Nothing makes sense anymore…_

_With Christmas coming up, everyone around me is going crazy. My life is flipping hectic. Mom and Will have been going crazy trying to get me presents, but you know, I really don't want them to. I know money is tight, and I know they're both working extra shifts at work, but I don't want them to have to do that for me. Besides, the only present I want doesn't have a price tag…_

_Grandma said they're getting me the art supplies that I had been begging for since school started. But the only reason why I wanted them was because Mr. Robertson said we needed them. I mean, sure, I'd love them! But with Mr. Robertson leaving and a new teacher coming into school next week, who knows what he'll ask for. And besides, I'd rather have mom spend the money on another trip. We hadn't been anywhere in a while. The last time we were in Santa Monica and were on the way home, mom said we would travel there a lot more often, something about it being sentimental. Then a year goes by and we go to Paris. Mom just loves it there. I think she and dad wanted to go to those places… who knows… not me…_

_I mean, I can't even talk to James about this stuff… and I can tell James anything. Well, except that I have a major crush on him but… that's different. Kara wouldn't understand either. I mean, sure I like her and all, but she's rich, and again, wouldn't understand how it's a struggle for my mom and Will to get me presents. They both asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and since I can't tell anyone what I really want… I just told them both sketchpads. Man, I go through those like crazy! Drawing is just an outlet for me I guess. _

_And I don't even know why I'm obsessed with this whole thing. What I want for Christmas, that is. I mean, it's not like Mom will ever help me with it, and she's the only one that can. I don't know, I guess I should just forget about it. It's silly, though, that the only thing I want for Christmas is something I could never get…_

_My father…_

_I mean, I'm not praying for the miracle that he'll come back from the dead and I can meet him, I just want to know more about him. I don't even know his name. Mom's never told me anything about him, except that I get my artistic ability from him. And that he died saving her life, but those aren't really the things that I want to know most. I want to know where he grew up, what he did for a living, where he's been… and where he and my mom met. And, how he died, I guess. _

_This is silly… even writing about it sends a tear down my cheek… I don't know, I just-_

"Laurel!" Mom cried from downstairs, interrupting my thoughts. I jumped, causing my pen to scatter across the page and leave a large mark, and then sighed. I closed my journal and then tied the ribbon around it tight. I wiped my now tear streaked face and recomposed myself, flashing a smile across my face. I stood up from my chair and walked out of my bedroom, quickly scurrying down the stairs.

"Yes." I said as I spotted mom and grandma in the back of the restaurant that grandma owned. Come to think of it, she wasn't even my real grandma. It didn't bother me, though, she loved mom and I just the same. She had taken mom in when she first came to New York, I guess she had nowhere else to go or something. Then when they found out she was pregnant with me, nothing changed. Grandma just got even more excited.

"Sweetie," mom said, dragging my heads out of the clouds. "We're about to put the star on, and I know that's your favorite part." I smiled and walked over to mom and grandma who were towards the back of the restaurant as they huddled around the large Christmas tree. I pulled the gold and sparkly star out of the cardboard box that was on top of one of the tables, and groaned as I stepped up onto the chair. I pushed my long, curly hair that was just like my mother's, except mine was blonde and hers was red, out of my blue eyes, and focused as I tried my hardest to put the star in the exact middle of the tree. I stepped back slightly, trying not to fall over, and smiled.

Perfect.

"Stay here," I instructed as I quickly jumped off the chair. "I want to draw you guys in front of it." I ran around the table and headed towards the stairs.

"Alright, just wait until Will get's here so we can put him in the photo, too." She said. I smiled and continued up the stairs.

"Okay!" I yelled back. Although he wasn't my father, Will, my mom's boyfriend for about seven years now, was a close second. He really loved me, and in a way, I guess I cared about him, too. And I know my mom did as well, but I don't think she loved him the way he loved her.

I think she'll always love my father more.

I ran up the steps two by two and jumped into my bedroom, although I didn't have to. I slid across the floor and towards my bed, grabbing one of my hundreds of sketchpads from under my bed. This one, however, wasn't completely full of drawings.

I stood back up and opened to a clean page, ready to walk back downstairs, when I heard a knock on my window.

_Clink._

I turned around.

_Clink._

There it is again.

I walked over to the window and pulled my yellow shades open. At first, my eyes were set on the window that went with James room, but then I looked down and saw James standing in the small grass lawn that separated our houses. He was casually leaning on the small wooden bench, a handful of rocks in his hand. I smiled and waved as he waved as well.

"Come down!" he screamed. I chuckled and opened the window, the cold December air whipping my face.

I could literally smell the snow in the air.

"You come up." I instructed. He rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Laurel, just come down." I smiled and closed the window, thanking god that it was now warm. I walked over to my nightstand and grabbed my pair of gray woolen gloves out of the drawer. I left my sketchbook on my vanity and ran down stairs.

"Hey, Laurel." Will said as I walked down the stairs. I smiled and gave him a small hug.

"Hi Will." I said. He smiled and mom walked out of the kitchen.

"Ready to draw?" she asked. I smiled at her and put on my gray coat over my lilac dress. I then pulled a lilac hat over my blonde hair and pushed my fingers through the openings in my gloves.

"Yeah, just have to talk to James first." I said. She went wide eyed a little, then smiled.

"Oh okay. Oh, and tell him to tell his mom that for Christmas dinner, if she could bring a pie that would be great!" I smiled and opened the front green door, a small bell ringing over my head.

"Will do." I said. I walked out onto the porch and quickly wrapped my arms around my body. I let out a large breath and watched as it floated around in the cold air.

"Hey," James said. I looked up and saw him standing at the bottom of the porch steps. I blushed slightly as he flashed me his goofy James smile.

Even when we were little that smile would always make me melt.

"Hi," I said back as I walked down the steps quickly and stood in front of him. "What's up?" He smiled and looked around at our little street.

"Cold out, huh." He said, changing the subject. I cocked my head and frowned.

"James." I said, urging him to cut the crap and tell me what he wanted. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine," he said unwillingly. "So you know how we've known each other since we were little, like, five, when you and your mom moved next door, and we and our moms have been best friends ever since?" I chuckled and stared at him strangely.

"Yeah," I said, confused with where this was going.

"Well, this Saturday will mark ten years my, yours and Kara's friendship," he explained with a grin. "And I planned out the entire night!" I smiled and looked down at the sidewalk that we were standing on.

"Oh," I said with a blush flying across my cheeks.

As if they weren't red enough from the cold.

"Yeah, it's going to be great!" he continued. I looked up and laughed again. Suddenly, James expression dropped as he looked back at my house. I turned around and looked back at the house and saw mom and Will kissing under the missile toe. A knot formed in my stomach, but I quickly shook it away.

"James, it's fine," I reassured him with a smile. "Really." He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, but if it's ever not," he said, now pointing to our windows. "You know where to find me." I smiled as well and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks." I whispered in his ear. He blushed and smiled at me as I pulled away slowly. I then turned around and ran up the steps, quite embarrassed, and walked into the restaurant. The warm air instantly hit me, and I immediately had to take off my jacket, hat, and gloves. I put them all back on the coat stand and then walked over to the three of them.

"Okay guys, stand in front of the tree please." I said with a smile. They all did so and smiled as well.

"I brought down your sketchpad for you, baby." Grandma said. I smiled.

She's always called me that.

"Thanks, grandma." I said. She smiled as well and I sat down on the chair at the table that was in front of the tree. I then pulled my pencil from my dress pocket and started to draw away on my sketchpad. I started off with the top of the tree, and then worked my way to the three of them. I drew James and Grandma first, only because of the way I was looking at them, but when I got to mom's face, I stopped for a moment. She was just so… beautiful. Her red hair was always curled to perfection, and her green eyes sparkled like a cat's. Her lips were pouty and sweet, and the light pink that flushed across her cheeks gave her a warm glow. I smiled and looked up at her. She smiled and scratched at her hair that was tied neatly, and beautifully, into a small loose bun. A few loose strands framed her face and the blue dress that she was wearing matched the small silver necklace that she was wearing around her neck perfectly. I chuckled to myself and continued to draw. The only major resemblance I had to my mother was the style of our hair and our lips. But besides that, I couldn't compare myself to anyone. Mom said I was almost the spitting image of my father, with a few of her features of course, but besides that, I was definitely his daughter.

No doubt about it.

She said I acted like him, too. How I loved to travel and loved to try new things, and always accepted life as it was, trying to make the best of it. Apparently he said that all to her once. And apparently my mom wanted to be the same way, but she couldn't, until she met my dad. He changed her or something, changed her heart, and made her a better person, a freer person. She said she would always be grateful for that, and would now always love waking up not knowing what's gonna happen, who's she's gonna meet, or where she's gonna wind up. And that she would never give up, no matter how hopeless. I thought those were some impressive words, and I knew then that my father might not have been rich or highly educated, but he was wise beyond his years. It's funny, though, whenever mom is frustrated or upset or nervous, and worries about what's going to happen, she whispers to herself, "I'll never let go," and somehow, she recomposes herself, and becomes happy again. Becomes calm and accepting. If she's nervous before going on stage for one of her performances, she whispers that to herself. If she's ever upset about money issues, she whispers that to herself. And when she used to put me to sleep, she'd sing, "Come Josephine in my flying machine, going up she goes… up she goes…" quietly to both of us, and then would whisper that to us both as well.

"Come Josephine in my flying machine, going up she goes… up she goes…" I sang very quietly to myself so that the three of them couldn't hear. That song always calmed me down. Mom said dad used to sing it to her, and that was good enough for me for it to be special.

"Hey!" Kara yelled as she opened the door to the restaurant and spotted me. Some people sitting down for people shooshed her, but she just kept her head up and walked to the counter where I was doing my homework. That was why I liked Kara; all though she was kind of rich and snotty, she was confident and could always make me feel better.

"Hi Kara," I said absentmindedly as I continued to write out my short story on a girl and her dog, Oliver.

"You're doing homework… on Saturday?" she asked me in shock. I looked up at her and smiled, shutting my notepad.

"Not anymore." I said with a snarky tone. She rolled her eyes with a smile and sat down as she pulled off her pink scarf.

"Listen," she said as she now ran her fingers through her dark brown hair. "About the new art teacher, Lacy Magdon said that he was some old eighty year old who has heart attacks in the middle of class!" I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Kara, Lacy Magdon is a compulsive liar… remember that time she said her brother was a flying monkey." I explained as Kara now sighed.

"Oh, yeah," she said, remembering the event. "Well, then who's the new art teacher?" I ran my fingers through my hair as well and sighed.

"I have no clue," I confessed angrily. "But I hope this one actually knows how to draw and doesn't just spend the entire class teaching us things. I actually want to do art in art class, not just learn about it!" Kara smiled and ruffled my hair.

"Oh my wittle artiste is yearning to write!" she said with a very fake French accent. I smiled and whacked her hands away, when mother came walking down stairs, more Christmas decorations in hand.

"Oh, hi girls!" she said, her soothing voice full of enthusiasm.

"Hi Mrs. Dawson!" Kara said with just the same amount of excitement. Mom stopped in her tracks and smiled.

"Kara, you can call me Rose. I mean god, I've known you and your brother since you were five! I've seen you both naked a thousand times so I think we're past the formalities." Mom explained. I went wide eyed and spit out the milk that I was sipping.

"Jesus mom!" I said. She laughed and so did Kara.

"It's fine, Laurel," Kara said as she stood up. "She's right anyways." Mom smiled and set the box of decorations on the counter.

"Thank you." She said, looking at me. I smiled and rolled my eyes and pushed back a piece of my blonde curly hair that was falling in front of my face. My mother smiled and pulled out a barrette from apron pocket, and handed it to me.

"Here you go," she said as I took the clip. "You know your dad was blonde." I smiled subtly and looked up.

"Really?" I asked. She chuckled and pulled out a strand of tinsel.

"Laurel, do you really think I would lie about that." She said. I chuckled as well and pinned back my curls.

"No." I said. She smiled again and pulled out another thing of missile toe. Kara smiled and walked around the corner and took it from my mother. She then hung it over the front door and smiled.

"Now people will be getting mono left and right!" Mother cried. Kara laughed and sat back down on the stool.

"Well, it's the door way and I figured that's where everybody walks in, so, people will have to kiss each other!" Kara explained when both she and my mother looked at me. I looked up as my face became pink again from embarrassment.

"What?" I asked them in annoyance. The smiled and turned away.

"Oh, nothing." Mother said smoothly. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Come on you two!" I cried. Kara looked back at me and smiled.

"Okay, you and James have been best friends for what? Like, ten years! When are you both going to admit you like each other?" She asked angrily. I furrowed my brows and gulped loudly.

"Your _twin _brother and I do NOT like each other!" I yelled just as angrily. "Alright? So both of you just drop it!" Mom rolled her eyes and hung the tinsel above the cabinets while Kara rewrapped her scarf around her neck.

"Whatever," she said as she headed towards the door. "See you Monday!"

_December 4__th__, 1926_

_So it's about six in the morning, and I should be getting ready for school, but I had a dream last night…_

_A strange dream…_

_For some reason in my dream, my dad never died. I met him somewhere, but I can't remember. But now I have this strange feeling… a really strong strange feeling… that maybe, just maybe, my dad's alive. _

_Ugh… this is stupid._

_I just have to shake this stupid feeling and get going with my life. It's been fourteen years! My dad's dead, and he always will be. Even if he was alive, wouldn't he have come looking for my mom and I._

_Wouldn't he?_

I closed my notepad and tuck it in the drawer of my nightstand. I then grabbed my sketchbook and stuck it in the center of my school bag. I then threw that across my chest and pulled my lilac hat down over my blonde curly hair. I walked over to the vanity and sighed as I looked in the mirror. I couldn't even recognize myself. Who was I? Like I said, I only had my mom's eyes and fair skin, but the rest of me was… my dad. And how could I even know what I look like if I don't know what he looked like? I rolled my eyes and quickly smudged red lipstick across my lips. I smacked them together and then walked out of my room and quickly down the stairs.

"Ready for school?" Mom asked as she flipped a pancake in the air. I smiled and walked over to the coat stand.

"Guess so." I said. She looked at me suspiciously and smiled, her full lips turning upright slightly in the corners.

"Alright." She said. I smiled and put my gloves back on quickly as I headed out the door, when suddenly, I froze. I turned to look at mom, and then ran to her, squeezing her tight.

"I love you." I whispered. She smiled and rubbed my back.

"I love you, too." She said between chuckled. I pulled back and smiled then ran back out the door quickly. I stopped on the sidewalk and watched as Kara and James came strolling out of the house.

"Hey!" They both yelled in unison. I smiled and waved as they came running over.

"I can't wait for art!" Kara yelled as she pulled up beside me. "Someone else said that the new art teacher was this famous movie star!" James and I rolled our eyes and continued walking down the street towards school. As we arrived at the large brick building, I got that strange feeling again. I sighed and shook it away quickly, trying to remain focused on school and art class. I have to admit I was excited. Well, as long as we actually got to do something this time around. I hope our art teacher wasn't a complete dud. The three of us walked up the steps and immediately ran up the stairs to the second floor. We walked down the hallway and over to the lockers that we all shared next to each others. I quickly grabbed my box of different colored pastels and waited anxiously as they slowly grabbed the supplies for art out of out of their lockers.

"God," I complained. "Hurry up!" They both smiled and rolled their eyes and then shut their lockers once they had the stuff they needed. I grabbed their hands and pulled them into the art studio. When we walked in, however, there were no more desks. They were all replaced with stools that sat behind large blank canvases. We looked at each other in shock then sat down in a row. Paint brushes lined the edge of the easel and different colored paints were on the small circular table next to our canvases. I dipped my pinky in the orange and smiled. I rubbed it in with my thumb then wiped it on my book bag which was already covered in paint as it was.

"Good morning." We suddenly heard. The heads in the class shot up, and they all looked at our new teacher. I looked at Kara who was now wide eyed and was wearing a large grin. I furrowed my brows suspiciously then slowly looked up as well. The teacher looked young, in his early thirties, and his shaggy blonde hair covered his eyes.

But I could still see them.

They were blue.

A piercing blue, similar to mine.

"God he's handsome!" Kara whispered to me. I chuckled and looked back up at the teacher who was now placing his briefcase on his desk.

"My name is Mr. Dawson," he said with a smile. "And I'm your new art teacher."

**SOOOOO? What do you think? Oh gosh I love this! It's funny because Baylee, well, RikkiChadwick2011 :) And I were both keeping a story a secret from each other and when we finally told each other about it, it was like the same plot! Great mind think alike, I guess! :) Read and Review please! :) Thanks! –Lauren **


	2. Chapter 2

**Whoa, so sorry for the long wait! Life's been a little hectic now with volleyball and school… but I promise I'll try not to let this get too out of hand again :) Anyways… On with the story :)**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

All of the heads in the classroom turned towards me as my face became flushed with pink. Kara was wide eyed, and so was James, and everyone's, including their, mouths were open.

"Well that's completely normal." James said sarcastically. I shot him and angry look and he instantly closed his mouth. Kara peered her eyes at everyone and groaned.

"Hey, this ain't a free show here, people! Now all of you nosy conclusion jumpers turn around!" she yelled. I smiled subtly and looked back up at the teacher who was now confused. He looked at me with his big blue eyes, and something felt… connected…

I felt as if I knew him…

"Um, alright… let's do, let's do roll call." Mr. Dawson said. He took the list off his desk and put a pair of glasses that he grabbed out of his pocket on.

"Alright, Sarah Anders." He said.

"Here!" Sarah cried.

"Leanne Astor."

"Here!"

"Collette Bryce."

"Present."

"Andrew Campbell."

"Here!"

"Laurel Daw-" he began, when his eyes went slightly wider than normal. He looked back up at all of us, a confused look plastered on his face and groaned. "Laurel Dawson?" I slowly raised my head and looked up at him nervously. His blue eyes met mine and my full lips made a pouty form.

"H-here." I said awkwardly. Mr. Dawson raised his eyebrows and continued to call names, although his eyes never left mine.

"Um, alright class, let's, how, how about we just draw for right now. Take your pencil and draw whatever you'd like onto the canvas. I'll come walking around to see what you're up to in a minute." Mr. Dawson explained. He sat back down at his chair for a minute and sighed, when I had an idea. I picked up my pencil quickly, knowing he wouldn't stay in that position forever, and quickly began to draw Mr. Dawson. It was quite easy, really. For some reason I felt like I already knew his face…

Although I couldn't tell from where…

It took me a while to draw every crease and crevice that cornered his mouth, but I got it. It looked as if they were frown lines, he must frown a lot.

He might be upset.

It's amazing how someone's face can tell you almost everything about them.

His eyes were saggy, too. The way his eyelids covered his gorgeous blue eyes showed that he had cried a lot. You couldn't tell from his personality… but he was a very sad man.

Very sad.

As he got up and walked around the room, just as I finished, I sighed and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I looked over my drawing and smiled with satisfaction. It looked just liked him. He looked over every students work, mostly apples or a tree, stupid things, and smiled when he got to James.

It was of a candy bar.

"What I'd give for one of those!" Mr. Dawson cried as he patted James on the back. James smiled and looked up at him happily. He then turned to Kara's drawing of a pair of shoes and smiled.

"Very nice," he complemented. Kara smiled as well and then turned to me. Mr. Dawson took another step closer, and began to smile, when he noticed my drawing completely. He frowned and peered at the drawing.

"Is that, is that me?" he asked nervously. I smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Yes," I said, proud of my work. "I hope you don't mind but the angle that you were sitting at just made it so easy from where I was sitting." He looked at me, one eyebrow raised, then bent down. He ran his fingers over the canvas and sighed. Mr. Dawson then looked up at me, a smile now stuck to his face.

"Well, you have a gift Laurel, you do. You see people." He explained as pink began to fill my cheeks again. I smiled and looked down at my now tapping foot.

"Uh, well, thank you, Mr. Dawson." I said. He smiled and patted my back, then stood up and moved on to the next kid. I watched as he ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair and noticed how his face could be so gentle and beautiful one moment, then stern and demanding the next. He looked like he had a temper, one that if you threatened someone he cared about, would get uncontrollable. I could just tell by his eyes.

They were just like mine.

They had a deceiving tone. They could make you feel one thing one moment and a totally opposite thing the next. Always loving and in good intentions, but sometimes they let their strong… very strong… emotions persuade them to seem otherwise…

"Hey," Kara whispered, startling me out of my thoughts. I jumped as she laid her hand on my shoulder then sighed in embarrassment.

"What?" I snapped quietly. She smiled gently and placed her hand on my shoulder again.

"You okay?" she asked. I smiled as well and patted her hand.

"I'm fine Kara, thank you." I explained.

"I'm home." I said quietly as I stepped inside. Grandma smiled and waved as she set a glass of milk down in front of a small girl.

"Hello, baby, how was school?" She asked me with her sweet voice. I smiled and pulled off my scarf, hat, and gloves, and then placed them all back on the coats tand.

"Um… interesting." I explained partially as I took off my school bag and laid it on the table. I sat down at the counter and sighed heavily, running my fingers through my blonde hair as I did.

"Hey," Mom said as she strolled through the kitchen door, plates of food in hand. "How'd art go today? I know you were excited!" I sighed again and rolled my eyes to myself, annoyed that my day had not gone as planned.

"It was fine, okay? Just… fine!" I practically yelled. Mom stopped, taken aback from my reaction and smiled hesitantly.

"Alright…" she said, suspicious of my behavior. I just couldn't take this. I had to leave. I grabbed my bag, scarf, hat, and gloves again and opened the door to outside quickly.

"Laurel!" mother cried form behind. I ignored her and pulled on all of my stuff as I ran down the steps of the porch. My ears instantly froze, but honestly, I could care less. I just kept walking, and walking, and walking, until I came across the one place that made me feel safe.

It was a small grass like park area in the center of town, only it was behind all of the buildings, and as far as I knew, I was the only one that knew about it. I walked around to the tree and sat down, leaning my back against it as I pulled out my sketchpad and quickly began to drew the small children playing across the field.

God, I'd give anything to be that young again.

I continued to draw for another minute, when I felt breathing on my neck. I froze then quickly whipped my hand, hitting them in the face. The man fell to the ground, holding his nose as he went. I stood up nervously, ready to hit them again, when suddenly, I recognized him.

"Mr. Dawson?" I questioned. He rolled over and groan, and I knew it was him.

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Dawson I am SO sorry, I had, I had no idea that was you!" I cried. He smiled weakly and waved me away.

"Laurel, it's, it's... ooh, It's fine." He tried to say, but I could tell it wasn't by the way he groaned in pain. I fell to my knees over to him and sighed.

"Oh, um, um, can I , can I get you anything Mr. Dawson?" I asked awkwardly as he lay on the ground, grass stains now covering his overalls. He smiled again and removed his hand from his face.

"Laurel, we're not in school. You can call me Jack." He protested. I smiled and touched his hand gently.

"Jack… can I get you something? Anything?" I asked again. He smiled and sat up.

"No, Laurel, I'm fine, really, I was just admiring your work." He said. I smiled and reached over to grab my sketchpad.

"Eh, nothing to admire. I just draw when I'm upset, really." I explained. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my sketchpad then started to flip through the pages.

"Please! These are fantastic! Where do you get your talent?" he asked me excitedly. I frowned and took the sketchpad back slowly.

"My dad… or so I'm told. I don't know. That's what my mom says anyways." I explained as we both walked back over to the tree and sat down, leaning our backs against it.

"So you're told?" he wondered. I sighed again and ran my fingers through my hair, as Mr. Daw- I mean Jack- ironically did the same thing.

"Well, see, see my dad died before I was born. I never met him. My mom tells me about him sometimes, but never any real specifics. Only that I look JUST like him, I get my artistic ability from him… and that he was just, as she would say, life changing." I explained awkwardly. He smiled and pointed back at my sketchpad.

"Well I know that if you're dad was still here, he'd be very proud of those drawings… just like I am," he said with enthusiasm. "And if you don't mind, I would like to send them to a couple of people I know." I looked at him, now full of excitement, and smiled.

"Really?" I wondered. He nodded and I threw my arms around him. "Ahh! Oh my gosh, thank you, thank you Jack!" He laughed and patted my head.

"No problem, Laurel."

**Short, I know. But it's late and… long story. To put it short… got NO sleep last night… I am TERRIBLY sick… LONG day at school… VIGUROUS volleyball tryout/practice… LOTS of homework… you get it. Well, read and review please! Thanks! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the wait! Just been really busy lately with volleyball and school and life in general! So enough of my apologizes…**

**Loves,**

**Lauren:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Titanic thank you very much!**

"Stop it!" I yelled at James as he tried to pinch my sides. "I mean it!" He laughed and continued to pinch me. I pushed him away playfully and we continued to walk down the streets, layered in heavy clothing. You could literally smell the snow in the air and hear the excitement from the people as the holidays now came around.

"Alright," he said, admitting in defeat. I smiled and pulled at the string hanging off of my gloves.

"So," I said as I kicked a rock that was in my way of walking. "Tomorrow's going to be fun?" He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Definitely!" he said, knowing I was referring to tomorrow, the Saturday that he had planned for Kara, him, and I.

"Good," I said. We continued to walk down the sidewalks past all of the stores, when I noticed someone familiar.

"Hey, is that Mr. Dawson?" I asked James, even though I knew very well it was.

"Umm… it looks like him," he said, peering in his direction. "But I didn't know he-"

"Neither did I," I interrupted, knowing James was curious, as I, about the blonde woman Jack… um, Mr. Dawson, had wrapped around his arms. She was quite beautiful, I have to admit. Her blonde hair looked completely natural, and her face was flushed with pink from the cold wind. Her plump lips formed the perfect smile as she now laughed at something Mr. Dawson had said. For some reason, though, a piece of my heart broke. Not that I had a crush on him! That'd be like… crushing on my dad or something… but for some reason it hurt me that he was with another woman. I guess I kind of, even after only a week, though of him as some sort of a dad, so when he was with some random woman, it hurt.

Bad.

"She's…pretty?"James said to me nervously. I shot him and angry look and frowned.

"Shut. Up." I replied. He smiled nervously and nodded his head. I plastered on a fake smile, pulled my hat tighter over my dirty blonde hair, and marched towards the couple who were now walking into a small café.

"No, Laurel!" James whispered. I was about to run up to them and say something terribly rude, when James grabbed my arm.

"What?" I asked angrily. He smiled devilishly and pointed towards the restaurant.

"Let's spy on them." He said excitedly. I smiled as well and causally walked the steps towards the restaurant. I pulled my hat down even farther over my head and opened the door.

"Hello, Miss," the host said. "Do you have a reservation?" I looked at James, who now had a worried face, and smiled.

"Oh, no, but my _husband _and I just wanted to get a quick bite before heading to the _gala_," I lied, trying to make it sound like our pockets were quite deep. "The food there is really terrible." The man then smiled and grabbed two menus.

"Right this way," he said, when James gently touched his arm.

"Uh, if you don't mind, could we get a table next to them," James said as he pointed to Jack and his "acquaintance". "They're our friends." The host smiled and led us to a table directly behind the two. We sat down quietly, even though Mr. Dawson's back was to us, and only asked for a glass of water.

"Can you hear them?" I asked James in a low whisper. He leaned back farther and shook his head.

"Barely," he said as he strained his neck. "Oh wait… Um, "So how's the new job going?" she just asked." I smiled and leaned closer as James continued to spill. "Good… something, something… one talented girl…" I smiled devilishly to myself, hoping Jack was talking about me. ""Laurel… she has… it must be a common last name…"" I smiled again.

He was.

""She sounds nice… how old?"", he continued. ""Fourteen..." Mr. Dawsom answered," I smiled yet again. "Oh wait… "Do you think something? …" "We'll see… parent teacher conference…""

Parent teacher conference?

Does he think we're related?

"Oh wait," James started. ""No… remember I told you… only child…" Mr. Dawson's saying. She's laughing, kind of, um… "Oh that's right… Cousin?" she's asking. Mr. Dawson is laughing too. "No… no aunts or uncles… forget it… probably… nothing…" Mr. Dawson said again." I sighed and leaned back in the booth.

But maybe it was something…

"Hey sweetie," Mom said cheerfully as James and I walked in the door. "How was your guy's day?" James and I both looked at each other and shared a suspicious smile.

"Fine…" I answered. My mom peered at me then smiled.

"Alright," she said, still not convinced that it was just "fine". I chuckled and threw off my winter clothing; hat, gloves, scarf and coat. James did the same and we both sat down at one of the tables.

"So do you think you two could be related?" he whispered. I shrugged my shoulder s and leaned closer so I wouldn't have to speak as loudly.

"Maybe… do you think I should ask my mom?" I asked. James almost choked on laughter and shook his head feverishly as my mom now stared at us.

"No way in hell!" he said quietly once my mom started to continue her chores. I rolled my eyes and sighed then leaned back in my chair as Kara came running through the door.

"Mr. Dawson has a girlfriend!" she yelled. The entire, crowded, restaurant stared at her and James and I shooshed her in unison. James pulled her over by the arm as my mother now stared at us intensely, a sad look on her face.

"Kara, shut up!" James said through gritted teeth as mom now walked over.

"Why?" she asked loudly. I whacked my hand to my head as mom now gently touched my shoulder.

"Who's Mr. Dawson?" she asked. I rolled my eyes and stared at Kara angrily, no lie coming to mind.

"Our um… my um… he's…" I started, when a man tapped on mother's shoulder.

"Excuse me Miss," he said. "Could I get some water?" Mother smiled at the man and nodded.

"Of course." She walked away, not realizing she left our conversation, and thank god poured him a glass of water.

"Kara," James started. "Mr. Dawson thinks he and Laurel may be related, but we don't want Miss. Dawson to know!" Kara bit her lip and smiled.

"Oh, sorry." She said. I smiled and rolled my eyes.

_Kara's such a ditz… _I thought to myself.

"Hey Laurel!" Will yelled as he walked through the door, groceries in hand. I smiled and set down the cup I was washing back onto it's also dirty table and walked over to him.

"Here," I said, grabbing three or four bags. "Let me help you." He smiled as well and walked over with his remaining groceries to the counter.

"Ah," he said in exhaustion. "So how's that new art teacher of yours? You were so excited about it! We didn't hear the end of it for weeks!" I chuckled and sat down at the bar.

"He's… well… he's…" I started, trying to find the words. "It'… he's… he's great! But the situation is… complicated." He smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Situation?" I chuckled again.

"Long story." I said with a smile. He laughed and sat down across bar from me.

"How are you and your mother doing?" he asked. I smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Fine," I reassured him. "No need to worry!" He smiled again and sighed.

"It's just that… she just gets so upset when you ask about your father," he explained. "She loved him very much." I sighed and leaned my head on my hand.

"I know," I muttered, mostly to myself. "It's just that I don't know that much about him. I know nothing, really." He smiled half heartedly and kissed me on the forehead.

"She'll come around," he said, trying to reassure me. "I'm sure of it." I smiled and watched as he ran up the stairs towards the living room where I knew mom and grandma were decorating… again…

And I kind of agreed with him; she would come around…

But when?

**Short, I know! But Baylee told me she was 99% D-E-A-D! Now I couldn't let her die, now could I? Then you wouldn't be able to read her AMAZING stories :D So go read 'em! After reviewing of course :D There's nothing I love more than reviews! Except Titanic but… that's a given :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! New chapter! Last time Baylee almost DIED because I didn't post soon enough so… won't let that happen again! And ugh… lost our volleyball game today… but only by two so that's not bad for our first game! And I have a TON of science homework and I am putting off doing it by writing this! I'll just do it in the morning :) Lol, enough of the boring A/N – I've been having those a lot lately! Anyways, on with the story!**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

"When are James and Kara picking you up?" Mom asked as I strolled down the stairs in my pink and gray dress, ready to go out with James and Kara, wherever we were going.

"Soon," I explained. I went and sat down at the bar across from mom and ran my fingers through my hair. Mom noticed this and smiled half heartedly.

"You are your father's daughter." She informed me. I smiled and sat up a little more straight.

"How so?" I asked curiously. She smiled and began to rub a white plate she grabbed from the sink.

"His blonde hair was always falling in front of those blue eyes of his," she explained. "So he'd run his fingers through it constantly, especially when he was embarrassed or nervous." I smiled again. Just the thought of being like my dad made me smiled, even though mom said it constantly. I looked up at mom, a smiled still on my face, but it instantly faded when I saw the sadness in her eyes, the despair on her face, and my dad's last kiss on her lips.

"Mom," I started. She looked at me, guilt washed over her face, and I smiled nervously. "You okay?" She smiled flakily and set down the plate.

"Laurel, I'm fine," she reassured me. "Really." I smiled flakily as well and stood up, walking over to the coat stand and grabbing my hat and scarf, and also my coat, when James knocked on the door. I smiled and opened it.

"May I help you?" I asked sarcastically, as if I didn't already know. He smiled and looked back at Kara who was shivering on the sidewalk in her blue and white dress.

"Dammnit James," Kara yelled. "It's freezing! Why'd I have to get all dressed up anyways?" James and I both chuckled and rolled our eyes.

"Come on," he said. I smiled and held up a finger.

"One sec," I explained. I ran back to my mom and gave her a tight little squeeze.

"I love you," I whispered. She giggled and kissed my head.

"Love you too." She whispered back. I smiled again and ran out the door.

"Whoa," Kara said as we all walked up to a fancy looking restaurant that had just opened up in the center of town.

"Whoa's right," I said in agreement. She smiled, and so did James, and we all strolled up the steps and into the dim lighted eatery.

"Winslow," James said, stating his and Kara's last name to the host. "For seven." The man looked over a small list and smiled, grabbing three menus.

"Of course." He led us to a small back room with only six or seven tables and we sat down at the amazingly set place setting. The man set down the menus and poured water in each of our glasses. James began to order some type of appetizer, but for some reason, all I could do was stare at this one couple across the room.

Where had I seen them before?

Then it hit me… like ten bricks in the face.

"James, James," I whispered. James looked at me after the host went away and frowned.

"What?" he asked. I nodded my head towards the couple.

"Is that who I think it is?" I asked. He turned around and stared at the couple as well.

"Oh yeah." He answered. I frowned, suddenly very angry, and accidentally made a large sound in the back of my throat. Kara followed our gazed until she was fixated on the couple as well.

"What are they doing here?" she asked. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

"Who cares?" I asked angrily. James sighed at me, and we all went wide eyed when the couple met our gaze as well.

"Laurel?" Jack asked. "James, Kara? Is that you?" We all smiled flakily and watched as Jack and his "girl" now sat down at the table.

"Hey, Mr. Dawson," Kara said as politely as she could. "How are you?" Mr. Dawson smiled and looked at the blonde.

"I'm great! How are you guys?" I smiled at him angrily and ran my finger around the rim of my glass.

"Great… just, just great." I said as sarcastically as possible. James looked at me angrily and I threw my hands up in annoyance, causing the blonde to stare at me awkwardly.

"Well, um, guys, this is Cassandra." Jack, uh, Mr. Dawson, said with a smile on his face. Cassandra smiled, especially at me, then stuck out her hand.

"Hi," she said. I looked at her hand, and after being kicked in the shin by James, I hesitantly shook it.

"Uh, sweetie, this is Laurel." Jack said, referring to me. I smiled "sweetly" and watched as Cassandra's face lit up.

"Ah, Miss. Dawson!" she cried. "I've hear plenty about you!" I then smiled, sincerely, and looked at Jack. His blue eyes met mine and all he did was smile as well.

"So," Kara said, causing both Jack and I to jump. "What's up with you two?" James and I went wide eyed as Cassandra and Jack laughed.

"Kara!" James yelled. She shooed him away and watched as Jack and Cassandra now shared devilish smiled.

"Well, um, Cassandra's, Cassandra's my fiancé." Jack said.

Suddenly, my heart broke.

Into a THOUSAND TINY PIECES.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I didn't have the slightest idea why, they just did.

I couldn't figure out why I was so upset, and it was killing me! I shouldn't be upset that my teacher was getting married, I should be happy.

But to me, it wasn't like my teacher was getting married, it was like my dad was getting married…

And not to my mom…

I wiped away a stray tear and purposely spilled my water on my dress, creating an excuse to leave.

"G-gosh, how terribly s-silly of me," I said, holding back sobs. "Excuse me." I pushed myself away from the table and scurried out the room. Once I was into the main dining area, I sprinted towards the door. I made it to the front porch of the restaurant, but my legs then felt like they weighed about one hundred pounds each, and I fell to the stairs. Suddenly, the door opened with a thud, and I whipped around, now facing Jack.

"Laurel?" he asked, a confused look washed over his face. I scoffed and turned away, tears now streaming down my face.

"Laurel, are you okay?" he questioned. I rolled my eyes and looked back at him.

"Yes, _Mr. Dawson, _I'm fine." I said, trying to sound as formal as possible.

He didn't deserve casualness.

"Laurel, did I, did I upset you or anything?" he asked, this whole situation going over his head. He came and sat down next to me, his blue eyes worried.

"No," I said, calming down a bit. "No, just, it's, it's hard to explain." He nodded and took a deep breath.

"Do you want to stay with James and Kara, or would you like me to walk you home?" I thought about it for a moment, and realized that Mom and Will had gone out to stock up on the food supplies for the restaurant. And honestly, all I wanted to do was go home after what had happened.

"Uh, yeah, yeah I want to go home."

**Well? Terrible, I know, but I hadn't posted in FOREVER so I just needed SOMETHING! Tell me what you think please! Criticism is welcomed! :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I know I posted yesterday but I just really wanted to post again, one, because last night's chapter SUCKED, although all of you are saying it didn't, and two, because that was a MAJOR late update :) Anyways, It's probably… 10? Well, I don't know what time it is where you are but as I'm WRITING this it's exactly 4:44. But, since I am about to go see that new movie Moneyball with Brad Pitt, it's probably around three hours later, maybe more, but I needed a little head start :) Anyways, enough with the A/N, let's get going!**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

**P.S. Baylee… oops, RikkiChadwick2011, won't be able to update until Sunday. She wanted me to tell you guys that :) So anyways, she promises she'll write a huge long chapter for y'all but again, she's sorry! :) Actually, she didn't promise that, but I am for her. Lol! Get writing Baylee! :)**

As Jack and I strolled down the sidewalk towards home, I couldn't help but feel like crying. I just wanted to fall into someone's arms and cry.

"So," he said, noticing my sadness. "What's this about?" I looked up at him nervously, and quickly thought of a lie, something easy and eventually explainable.

"Um, well, I," I began, the guilt suddenly fluttering to my throat, causing my words to jumble.

Why was it so hard to lie to him?

"My mom's been spending a lot of time with her boyfriend lately, and it's kind of upsetting me," I said. He nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.

"And why's that?" he wondered. I looked down, my lie now becoming a truth, and sighed.

"I don't know," I confessed, the air getting colder and colder. "I just wish my dad was still here, you know? I mean, I care about Will – uh, my mom's boyfriend, but, it's not the same." He nodded and continued walking with me in unison.

"Yes, I know." He said vaguely. A thought then ran through my mind.

Maybe he missed someone, too.

I then looked back up at him with my equally blue eyes.

They were almost the same.

Same shape, same color, same size.

Just… same…

"Is your mom still upset?" I scrunched my face slightly, and scratched my head.

"Sometimes, I guess," I said, a memory quickly coming to mind…

_Crash!_

"_Mom?" I called from my room. "Mom!" I climbed off my bed, throwing my sketchpad to the ground, and sprinted down the stairs two at a time. I suddenly stopped in the doorway as I saw mom standing over a broken plate on the floor, tears streaking her face and her eyes wide as she saw me. _

"_Laurel, I" she began through sobs. I frowned slightly and walked over to her, moving her away from the glass._

"_Mom, are you alright?" I asked. She nodded, and wiped away a stray tear._

"_Fine, yes, me? Oh, yes," she said flustered. I sat her down at one of the tables and quickly grabbed the milk from the back freezer. I poured it in a small mug and set it in front of mother._

"_What's going on?" I asked, sitting back down across from her. She grasped the mug in between her hands and took a large slug. _

"_Nothing, just," she began. "I miss… I've just been missing your father lately." I bit my lip and tapped my fingers on the wooden table. _

"_I know," I said. "So have I." she looked up at me with her cat green eyes full of tears and smiled weakly._

"_I'm so sorry you never got to meet him,' she said. "He would have loved you." I smiled half heartedly and gently held her hand._

"_So am I," I said. "So am I."_

"Do you get upset about it a lot?" Jack asked, dragging my head out of the clouds. I looked at him startled, and sighed.

"Yeah," I said sadly. He looked at me fondly, and smiled as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Well I have some news that will cheer you up!" he said. I scoffed.

"The last news you gave me didn't exactly "cheer me up"." I scolded. He rolled his eyes and ruffled my neat hair.

"I sent your pictures." He said. I looked at him and smiled, the news actually cheering me up.

"Oh," I said nonchalantly. "That's… nice." Jack laughed and playfully punched me in the shoulder. Suddenly, something cold and wet hit my cheek, and I looked up into the sky. Tiny snowflakes began to fall and I smiled.

"The first snow!" I yelled. Jack laughed.

"Gosh, winter does start late around here nowadays, doesn't it?" he asked in general.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. He looked at me and smiled.

"I grew up here!" he cried. I smiled and laughed.

"You grew up in Chippewa Falls?" I asked, referring to the small little town in Wisconsin that I lived in. Mom said that this place was special, and that it was really the only place she could ever see us living in, but it didn't really seem that special. It just seemed like a small little town.

"You bet!" Jack yelled. I chuckled and stuck out my tongue as Jack did the same. We both laughed as the snow slowly fell onto our tongues. I took a step forward, trying to catch a certain snowflake, and slipped on the snow.

"Ow!" I yelled as I fell to the ground with a thud, twisting my ankle in the process.

"Laurel!" Jack yelled. I whimpered in pain and threw my hand to my ankle.

"Oh shit!" he yelled. I looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Well I'm not your teacher right now, so…" he tried to explain. I smiled weakly as he knelt down next to me.

"Oh my god, this really hurts." I whispered, my voice now, for some reason, barely coming out. Jack bit his lip and looked around.

"How far's your house?" he asked. I screeched, my ankle now throbbing, and pointed to the restaurant at the corner of the street.

"Right there," I answered. He nodded, and picked me up. I instinctively threw my arm around his shoulder. He ran towards the restaurant and scurried up the steps. I pushed open the door with my foot and pointed to the counter.

"There's fine," I said. He nodded and set me down on the counter. I swung my legs over and immediately grabbed my ankle again.

"Jesus!" I yelled, the pain now shooting up through my leg. "I think it's broken!" Jack groaned and ran his fingers though his hair, then frantically started pacing across the room. Suddenly, the now closed door's handle began to turn, and Jack and I both shared nervous looks. I jumped from the counter, silently yelling in pain, and hopped/pushed Jack into the back kitchen.

"Oh shoot we forgot pickles!" Mother cried as she and Will walked through the door. Their eyes both went wide when they saw me, and then they smiled.

"Laurel," mom said. "What are you doing here?" I smiled and instinctively pressed my foot to the ground to balance myself, then yelped in pain when I did.

"Ah! That!" I yelled. Mother furrowed her brows and set down the groceries to walk over to me.

"My lord," she cried. "What happened?" I limped back over to the counter and propped myself up quickly.

"We were laughing I slipped on the snow," I said. Mom raised an eyebrow.

"We?" Mom wondered. I went wide eyed and then looked back up at her.

"James and I." I lied. Mom's face softened and she gently touched my ankle. I still jumper, and whimpered in the excruciating pain.

"Oh, sorry," she said. I shook my head and shooed her away.

"It's fine." I lied again. Mom smiled and grabbed the bags again.

"Wait one sec, sweetie," she said as she headed towards the kitchen. "Let me just put these away."

"No!" I yelled. Mom and Will both looked at me strangely as I jumped from the counter and winced in pain as I made my way quickly over to the door.

"Laurel wha-"

"There's a rat!" I lied again. "In the kitchen."

"What?" Mom asked. Will set down the bags and walked towards us.

"I'll get it." Will said. I stood in front of the door more.

"No," I said again. "It's HUGE!" Mom and Will both exchanged suspicious looks and grabbed the bags again and set them on the counter.

"Well Miss. I'm not afraid of rodents," Mom said sarcastically. "Since you're comfortable with it, you put the groceries away." I smiled and pushed them towards the stairs,

"Yeah, yeah." I said. They both smiled and Will gave mom a quick kiss before heading out the door. Mom scurried up the stairs and I sighed in relief. I hopped back over to the kitchen and opened the door.

"Geez," I said to Jack. "I'm so sorry." He smiled and stepped out slowly, making sure no one was around.

"It's alright," he said. "I could see how meeting your mom like that for the first time would be weird." I chuckled and gave him a quick squeeze.

"Thanks for the talk," I said. "I needed it." He smiled and rubbed my back.

"Don't mention it," he instructed. "And hey, ice that foot! I don't want you limping into class on Monday." I smiled and playfully punched him in the arm, then walked him to the door.

"Goodnight." I whispered as he walked down the steps.

"Night." He whispered back before going on his way. I closed the door and smiled then limped back over to the counter, quickly grabbing a block of ice from the freezer and wrapped it into a towel. I sat down on a stool and laid the ice over my ankle. I then smiled as I looked out the door and saw the snow continue to fall, and then wondered if Jack was going back to Cassandra, which quickly re-ruined my mood. I ran my fingers through my hair and let out an extremely large sigh.

I still couldn't believe this.

Jack – Mr. Dawson, was getting married… MARRIED! It just seemed so wrong! Even though I didn't fully know Cassandra, she didn't seem his type. But deep inside, I knew who seemed like his type…

Mom…

**So… so… so… What did you think? Good? Bad? TERRIBLE? REVIEW! And again, Baylee won't be able to update until Sunday! Just to let you guys know… again! :) Ah, review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! So you all must be thinking, "Oh no! What's wrong with her?" Lol, well if you are… the answer is EVERYTHING! I know I've been updating a lot lately but I just got over my DWB (Dreaded Writer's Block as Baylee and I say) and I just have this MAJOR urge to write! Writing for me is like breathing… I have to do it to live. Ooh, that's a good quote! Feel free to use it whenever you'd like :) Anyways, let's get going!**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

**P.S. Again, Baylee will NOT be able to update until Sunday! I repeat: Baylee will NOT be able to update until Sunday! :D **

"I don't know, they just seem like a perfect match, don't you think?" I asked James as we walked along the sidewalk as snow flurries slowly fell. He sighed and played with the loose button on his coat.

"Yeah," he confessed. "They do. But your mom love's Will and Jack loves Cassandra." I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I know," I said in disappointment. "But for some reason, whenever I picture my parents, I just picture Mom and Mr. Dawson." James looked at me and smiled, then put his arm around me.

"Laurel," he began. "Everything's going to be fine." I sighed and held the hand that now lay on my shoulder, our wool gloves scratching against each others.

"I know," I said quietly. I continued to limp along with James, my heart still broken in two, when we both saw Kara come running towards us.

"Hey guys!" she yelled, her voice full of excitement. We both smiled, and James slowly lowered his hand to my hand. I looked up at him and smiled, and he smiled back.

"What's up?" James asked as Kara now stood in front of us, glaring at our hands.

"Well what's up with you two?" she now asked, suspicious of our intertwined fingers. I chuckled and pushed a loose curl out of my face and tucked it behind my ear.

"Just, what do you want Kara?" James asked. She rolled her eyes and smiled, and held up a piece of paper.

"Look what got sent to our house." James rolled his eyes and grabbed the piece of paper.

"Oh," he said, turning the paper over a couple of times. "Parent teacher conferences." My eyes went wide and I grabbed the slip of paper.

"What?" I asked nervously. I looked it over and over and sighed.

"Well now you can find out if you're related to Mr. Dawson, right?" Kara asked. I sighed and handed her back the piece of paper.

"Yeah, right."

"Hey sweetheart," mom said as I walked into the restaurant. "Oh, here." She set down an envelope on the counter, and I didn't even have to look at it to know what it was.

"It's for parent teacher conferences," I said. She looked at me strangely. "Kara told me." She now smiled and nodded, then tucked back a red curl behind her ear as she hung a piece of misled toe over the doorway. I continued to walk in through the house, and attempted to through the envelope away, when mom stopped me.

"Hey," she said. "What are you doing? Don't you want me to meet your teachers?" I bit the inside of my cheek and placed the envelope back down on the counter.

"Some of them." I mumbled. She raised an eyebrow in confusion and walked over to where I was now sitting at the counter.

"What's up?" she asked. I sighed and absentmindedly started playing with my thumbs.

"Nothing, it's just, well, my art teacher, he-" I began when James started incredulously knocking on the door. I jumped, startled, and sighed again in disappointment.

"We'll talk later," mom said as she headed towards the door. She opened it and scratched her head.

"Hello James," she said in her sweet, monotone voice. "What do you need?" He looked at me and frowned.

"Laurel, I have to talk… to Laurel." He said through pants. I smiled and walked over to the door, mom walking back into the kitchen.

"What?" I asked. He stood up straight, after hunching over to put his hands on his knees, and smiled.

"I have an idea." He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"An idea for _what_?" I asked. He smiled devilishly and pulled me onto the porch.

"In art class tomorrow, why don't you do something so terrible that Mr. Dawson has to call your mom down to school and then you can find out if you're like cousins or something?" I cocked my head and frowned.

"Or," I began. "I could just wait until the parent teacher conferences." He frowned and whacked his head with his hand.

"Dammnit!" he yelled. "I'm so stupid!" I laughed and playfully pushed him away. He smiled and pulled me close.

"Uh," I began, when I suddenly looked up and saw the piece of misled toe that mom had hung a couple minutes earlier. James followed my gaze and smiled when he saw it.

"Hmm," he said, now looking back at me. "Aren't we supposed to kiss?" I looked back at his dark brown eyes and smiled as well.

"Well it is tradition." I said. He smiled once again and gently put his hands around my waist. I giggled as he pulled me closer and leaned farther towards him. Our lips touched softly for a moment, and then we both leaned in closer, our lips fully pressed together. I couldn't help but smile though, and laugh, so I had to pull away. We both laughed for a moment before I playfully pushed him away again.

"I'll see you later," he said as he started towards the steps. I smiled and waved as James walked over towards his house.

I walked back into the house, mom looking at me suspiciously, and sighed in pure joy as I leaned my back against the door.

"Laurel," she said nervously. I smiled and walked past her slowly towards the stairs.

"I love misled toe."

**Hehe! Please review! I know it was extremely short and I know it's extremely late for some of you guys but something came up and I couldn't get to writing… long story… anyways, review! Thank you very much! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ready for the next chapter? I know I am! :) Anyways, guess what's on Saturday night… The Wizard of Oz… okay, if you seriously just bought that… you don't deserve to be reading this ****TITANIC **** Fanfic :) (If you haven't got it yet… it's Titanic…) Lol, anyways, on with the show!**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

"Okay class, here is an extra copy of the parent teacher forms just in case any of you misplaced them," Mr. Dawson said as he passed out neatly typed slips of papers. He slide one over to me from across the table and winked devilishly.

"I'm _especially _excited for our conference, Emma," he said with a smile. "Maybe we're… long lost cousins or something!" I chuckled fakely at his obvious sarcasm, and he laughed as well.

"Maybe you are," James whispered, just as sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and playfully nudged him in the stomach. He smiled and twisted his head in such a way that it made his hair do a strange flip-thing.

I liked it.

"Hey Laurel," Kara said. "You've got some drool on your chin there." My eyes went wide and I quickly wiped my chin, finding that there actually wasn't anything there.

"Very funny," I said. She smiled and watched as Mr. Dawson now began to pass out the water colors to everyone, though he skipped me.

"Um-"

"I actually have to talk to you, Laurel," he interrupted. I furrowed my brows and slouched down on my stool, now nervous that I might be in some sort of trouble.

"Don't be worried, you're not in trouble or anything," he said, almost speaking my thoughts. He smiled, and now so did I, and I slowly got up from my stool and walked into the back room with him.

"What?" I asked, impatient and ready to paint.

"Well, I made a few telephone calls, _got _a few telephone calls and actually got the Dean of Submissions at the art museum to hang up a few of your pieces." He explained. I stood, more like stood cockeyed with my still, what we found out, sprained foot, speechless. A large smile then washed across my face and I wrapped my arms around Mr. Dawson.

"That's great!" I cried. He smiled and rubbed my back, and I suddenly got this strange feeling.

It was a feeling I'd never experienced before.

It kind of felt like love…

But it was a love towards someone I thought I never could love…

A father…

I pulled away from Jack slowly; my stomach now tied in two, and stared up at his blue eyes. He stared back into mine, and it felt as if something inside of me went, "Click!"

I furrowed my brows and took a step back.

"Well, th-thank you again, Mr. Dawson, it means a lot." I said. He smiled weakly, just as confused as I now was, and ran his fingers through his hair. I stood there for another awkward moment before suddenly opening the door and quickly walking out of the dim lit room, back to my seat.

"GRANDMA!" I yelled as I came running through the door, not caring that there were about twenty some odd people in the restaurant. "Grandma!"

"Yes dear?" she wondered as she came scurrying through the kitchen, balancing plates on whatever part of her body she could. I smiled and grabbed two plates she had on her forearms, and set them down where she pointed.

"Has mom ever told you anything about dad? I was wondering about him today." She smiled and wiped her hands on her apron.

"A few things… what do you want to know?" she asked. I smiled and sat down at the counter as she stood across from it.

"Well, I want to know about him… where he grew up. How he met mom. How he died. And I guess his name would be nice, too." Grandma laughed and poured Mr. Jefferson, our neighbor, a cup of coffee.

"Here you go, George." She said. He smiled and topped off his hat to her.

"You're the best, Irene." She smiled and turned to look at me again.

"Well," she began. "She never told me his name, but she did say he grew up here." I smiled.

"So _that's _why it's special." I said, more to myself than to grandma.

"Mhm." I sighed and rested my head on my hands.

"Did she tell you anything else?" I asked. She furrowed her brows and quickly thought of something else.

"Ah, your mother and your father always wanted to travel, well, more your mother than your father, your father already traveled quite a lot, but your mother never really got the chance to. Anyways, they had always planned on going to Santa Monica together, and that's why your mother and you lived there for a while. Huh, I remember missing you two so much… but that's beside the point. Now, your mother always wanted to go to Paris, and ironically, your father had lived there only months before they met, so they talked about going there a lot, too." She explained. I smiled and leaned forward then kissed her on the forehead.

"I missed you too… and thanks." She smiled as well and kissed me on the forehead back.

Later, James, Kara, and I sat around the fireplace all doing our homework, when we heard mother and Will come walking up the stairs, large smiles on their faces.

"Alright, what's going on?" James asked with a smile as well. Mom and Will both shared devilish smiles and looked directly at me.

"What would you say… if we said… we were getting married?" Mother asked as she now smiled ear to ear and stuck out her hand, accessorized with a small stone.

My heart sank.

Kara and James, however, yelped with joy and ran over to mother to inspect her ring.

I sat next to the fire, my notepad and pen now lying on the floor, my mouth opened wide enough that you could stick a finger in it, and my eyes beginning to water.

"So?" Will wondered. I looked up at him, at mom, a single tear streaming down my face.

"Laurel," mother began. "What's wrong?" I smiled, fakely, and stood up.

"H-happy tears," I lied, terribly. "I'm, I'm, I'm so happy for you." I gave my mother a small squeeze and Will one as well.

"Oh I'm so glad you're happy!" Mother cried. I chuckled as another tear ran down my cheek.

But it wasn't a happy tear.

God, it wasn't even a _sad _tear…

It was a I'm-Dying-Inside-Tear…

"Um, excuse me," I said, wiping my wet face. "I'm just, I'm just so happy I need a little air." Mom and Will smiled while James and Kara laughed, as I quickly ran down the stairs. I pushed open the door, almost tearing it off its hinges, and continued to run into the street. I didn't know where I was running, but I just ran. I kept running and running until my legs felt sore. Almost weightless. I realized that they had fallen asleep, eventually, but I didn't care, I just kept running, when suddenly, I ran into a brick wall.

Or what I thought was a brick wall…

"Hmph!" I yelled.

"Ow!" I heard. I fell to the sidewalk with a thud, whacking my head in the process, and the last thing I saw before everything went black was a blurred image…

Of a man…

**Ooh-hoo-whoo! CLIFFHANGER! :) Tell me what you guys thought! Please! Going through a rough patch right now… LONG story, just ask Baylee… so it's making it really hard for me to write these stories SPECIFICALLY… again, long story. Anyways, I'll try my best, especially with CREC Tests (BIG tests in my school) and volleyball (Going to see the doctor tomorrow during school 'cause I jammed my knee on the ground while diving for a ball… yeah, sure kneepads work) Anyways, I'll try to update soon! I promise! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Crazy day… went to school then gotten taken OUT of school for a Docs. App. For my knee… in the middle of just finding out I have tendonitis (Ugh!) I get a phone call from my mom saying that the bank in our town was robbed so my schools on lockdown! I eventually got to go back to school and my VB game (Although I didn't get to play…) and yeah… it was crazy! But that's alright! Now it's Laurel and Jack time! :)**

**Love,**

**Lauren**

I awoke lying on a small tan couch and immediately shot up, not knowing where I was. I whipped my head around to see myself in a small living room, which was quite messy. Right next to it was a small kitchen, with a sink piled high with dirty dishes. Along the walls were black and white, hand drawn sketches, and a few other actual photographs. Suddenly, I had a large pounding in my head. I raised my hand to my face and felt gauze over the side of my head. I scratched at something sticky then gasped when I saw dried blood under my fingernail.

"Ooh…" I mumbled, my head now making me feel weightless. My body was so sore, specifically my legs, but I didn't know why. I didn't _remember _why. I couldn't remember anything…

"Laurel, lie back down," I heard a gentle familiar voice instruct. I tried to look around but a firm hand was placed on my head.

"Back," they said again. I groaned and laid back down, reluctantly.

"W-what happened?" I asked, terribly confused. My vision was still blurred, but it didn't matter anyways, my eyes hurt too much to open them, so I just kept them shut.

"You had a hard fall," they said. I scrunched my face together, the throbbing getting more and more intense, and sighed.

"M-my mom, she, what time is it?" I asked in a flustered state. Suddenly, I heard the sound of water falling into more water. "What's that?"

"Shh," they said. "Cold washcloth." I then felt the cold, wet fabric lay on my head, and I sighed in relief, the throbbing subsiding a bit.

"My mom, and Will, and, and James…" I began, nervous that my family and friends were worrying about me, when I fell asleep again…

I woke up again, now lying on my side and the washcloth on the couch, in the same room. I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat up; forgetting that last time I did my head began to pound. It did once again and I whimpered in pain. The gauze was still on my, what I presumed to be, large gash, and it was beginning to irritate the back of my neck. I scratched at it angrily and sighed, pushing my tangled, dirty blonde hair out of my blood shot eyes. I knew I had been crying, but I didn't know why. My body was still incredibly sore and with each tiny movement I made, it felt like a large weight pressed upon my muscles.

"Ugh," I moaned as I continued to sit up. Suddenly, someone walked through the back hallway and into the kitchen, and I quickly, yet subtly, slipped back under the three blankets that were on top of me.

Yeah, it's that cold.

My vision, still blurry, could only make out a shape of an older man, maybe in his late thirties. I squinted my eyes, trying to make out a face, but failed. They then poured them self mug of coffee, and looked over my way.

"Laurel," they said. "You up?" I closed my eyes again, the pounding now returning, and sat up slowly.

"Yes," I managed to say. They walked over towards me and sat down on the end of the couch.

"How you feeling?" I sat up again slowly, and looked at the now what I knew for sure, man.

"Tired… sore…" I answered. The man pulled his legs up and brought them close.

"You've been out for quite a while," he said. "The last time you were up it was twelve."

"At night?" I asked nervously. The man nodded.

Oh shit.

"Well, what time is it now?" I questioned. The man turned around to look at a wall clock and sighed.

"Around three." I groaned and rolled my eyes, slouching down farther into the couch.

"My mom is going to kill me." I said, more to myself than to the man.

"Are you sure you're alright? Do you remember anything?" he asked. I rubbed the non cut side of my head and frowned.

"Not really." I replied. The man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well," he said. "We ran into each other and you whacked your head on the sidewalk. You were out cold, and I forgot where you lived, so I just brought you back to my place." I furrowed my brows.

"What do you mean, "Forgot…"?" I asked, referring to him saying that he "forgot" where I lived.

"Well, the last time you told me was about a week ago, and I just… forgot." He explained. I peered my eyes more, my vision clearing… and smiled, the man's face returning to normal.

"Oh," I said, relieved about who was sitting in front of me. "Hello Jack."Mr. Dawson smiled and picked up the washcloth that was lying next to me.

"Relieved?" I smiled.

"Uh, yes," I said. "I was afraid I was in some random guy's house!" He chuckled and stood up to walk over to the kitchen.

"Coffee?" He asked. I sniffled, the remains of tears and runny nose still stuffed up in my head.

"No thank you." I replied. He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.

"So," he said, walking back over to the couch and slowly sitting down, careful not to sit on my feet. "What's up?" I gulped and looked away.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and whacked my foot.

"Ow!" I yelled. He smiled and recovered my toes with the blanket after knocking it off.

"You know what I mean." I sighed, everything from last night coming back to me, and pulled the blankets up around me higher.

"My mom and Will… they're, they're… they're engaged." I began angrily. "And, and, I just, I just can't believe it! I just want my mom and my _dad _to be together! That's it!" Jack sighed and moved closer to me.

"Ah," he said, now understanding why I was in such a state of panic last night. "And you're… upset…" I cocked my head angrily.

"No, I'm just peachy Jack!" I yelled sarcastically. He hit my foot again and I rolled my eyes.

"Look, Laur," he began, a now distant look in his eyes. "I know what it's like to have to just let things go and except some tough facts of life… but eventually, you move on. You might not be happy about it, and you may still have lingering feelings… _strong _lingering feelings… and there's nothing wrong with that, at all… but there comes a point when you know it's what they would want." I sighed, Jack's words sinking in, and groaned.

"I guess…" I said. He smiled, and I did as well, and he gave me a tight little squeeze.

"Jack," I said. "It means a lot that someone actually takes the time to help me with my problems… sometimes it seems as if you're the only one who does." He chuckled.

"What?" I asked with a smile, still in our little hug.

"You just… you remind me of someone." I smiled and closed my eyes, burying my face into his sweet smelling shirt.

"Thanks, Jack." I whispered. He patted my head and sighed.

"You're welcome, Rose." I opened my eyes, and pulled away slowly.

"Rose?" I wondered. "Jack, who's Rose?"

**WELL? Hehe, tell me what you think guys! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ready to go after that UNBELIEVEABLE cliffhanger? … I am! Sorry for the wait… going through a very "difficult" time right now…but I'll try to not let it affect my updating. Sorry again!**

**Love, **

**Lauren :)**

**OMD: Ahaha, I saw on your review for Missing Link :) And hehe, I know, I know, yell at me, hunt me down and kill me, but its ALL part of the story :) And thanks, that means a lot! I love when reviewers tell me that :) I mean, I'm my biggest critic so sometimes I doubt myself, but that just perked me up! And ahah, it wasn't THAT lame :) And I did post pretty soon, only a day or two later, so that should be good enough! :) Thanks again!**

**StarryEyedReviewer: That's alright! And hehe, I know, I know :) Well, your waiting is over!**

Jack's eyes quickly darted away from mine and he nervously ran his shaky hand through his hair.

"Oh, uh," he stammered. I furrowed my brows and repeated my question.

"Jack… _who is Rose_?" He looked back at my eyes, his now almost… dare I say it? Tearing… _up!_

"Jack?" He sniffled quickly and rubbed his eyes, careful not to let me see any tears, even though I knew very well there were some.

"I'm, I'm fine, Laurel, really." He said, trying to reassure me…

But I didn't buy it…

Not _one _bit…

"Jack,"

"Mr. Dawson." He corrected me. I smiled awkwardly and raised an eyebrow.

"_Jack,_ I'm lying on your couch in the middle of your apartment, I think we're past formalities." He immediately shot up, his face turning a bright pink, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I, you, uh, I, um," he stuttered. I laughed again and whacked him in the shoulder. "Ow." I sat up further, still smiling, and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Jack, you can tell me who she is. Is, are, are you like, cheating on Cassandra?"

"No!" he said abruptly, almost startling me.

"Alright then," I said. "Who is she?" He sighed and slumped down further into the couch.

"Before I met Cassandra, I, I loved someone before," he began. I peered my eyes.

"What did you, did you break up or something?" I asked. He shook his head and sighed again.

"N-no," he said, his voice shaking. "She, she um,"

"Oh," I said, realizing where he was going, realizing what he was saying. "I'm, I'm sorry." He sniffled again and sat up.

"Don't be," he instructed. "It was, it was, a lot of people died that night, Laurel. It really was nothing anyone could have controlled after it began." I sighed, a little confused, and then smiled.

"Tell me about her." I instructed. He looked up at me and furrowed his brows.

"What?" he asked. I smiled again and brought my knees to my chest.

"I said tell me about her."

"Why?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"You said I reminded you of her. So, tell me about her, this, this Rose." He smiled and got up, returning to the kitchen.

"Hmm," he said as he grabbed two mugs from a cabinet above his sink. "Well, in a way, you, you almost look a little like her. You have the same full lips. And she had curly hair as well, only hers was red, not blonde."

_Click!_

"Ow," I whispered as a strange, sharp pain hit my head. He looked back at me as he now poured black, strong smelling coffee into the two mugs.

"What was that?" he questioned. I rubbed my head and smiled.

"Oh, ah, nothing, sorry," I apologized. "Just, just my mom and I have the same lips, and the same hair, but, but hers is red, too." He smiled and grabbed the milk from the white fridge.

"Milk?" he asked, referring to it being poured into my coffee.

"Ah, yes, please." I said. He smiled again and poured a relatively large amount into both mugs.

"Also," he continued. "She wanted to be an artist. Like you, her… family life wasn't the greatest, and all she wanted to do was run away and become an artist," he chuckled. "To, "to live in the garret, poor but free!" She said that all the time." I smiled.

"Hmm," I said. "I guess we do have quite a bit in common." He smiled again and walked back over with our coffee, and handed me my mug before he sat back down onto the couch.

"I then told her about my life, my adventures, and although she never said it, I knew she was fascinated by them. Heh, I promised her I'd take her to Santa Monica so we could ride roller-coasters and horses and drink beer. But, uh, that, that never happened."

_Click!_

I threw my hand to my head.

"Ow, uh, my, my mom and I lived in Santa Monica for a while. She said she always wanted to go there, too. She said my dad also promised her that they would ride horses in the surf," I began. "But, haha, my dad made her promise no side saddle! She had to ride like a real cowboy, and that's the way she made me do it. Then when we went on the roller-coaster, I think we went on it about a hundred times, we threw up twice afterwards!" Jack's eyes widened.

"He, he said that?" he asked.

"Said what?" I asked in return.

"No, no side saddle. And, and throwing up and-"

"Yeah," I interrupted. "He did. He was going to teach her to ride like a man and chew tobacco like a man and spit like a man! But… but he died before that." Jack sat up.

"He, he really said all that?"

"Yes!" I said with a chuckle. "Why?" He furrowed his brows and shook his head.

"No, I, I just told Rose I'd teach her that stuff, too," he explained. "What a coincidence."

_Click!_

"Huh," I said. "I, I just, huh." Jack looked back at me.

"What?" he wondered. I smiled awkwardly and looked back at him too.

"I just realized, well not really realized but, my, my mom's name is Rose," I explained. His eyes widened again.

"Really?" he asked. "Huh, a lot of coincidences today." I furrowed my brows and looked away.

"I, I don't believe in coincidences."

I woke up again, not realizing that I had fallen asleep, in Jack's arms. I furrowed my brows and looked up at him. His face was soft and gentle, a little wrinkled, but that was alright, he was still quite handsome. I sighed and nuzzled my face back into his arm. A slight smile washed over his face, and even though I knew he was asleep, I was still flattered. Then I realized something.

He was getting married.

Married.

Married.

Two people I cared about deeply were getting married… and I didn't want them to. But, I couldn't tell them that, now could I? It would break their already torn hearts. For example, my mother. After losing her one true love and having to raise their daughter almost practically alone, she deserved to love again, and I knew that, I just didn't want to think about it. And Jack. After losing his Rose, he deserved to love again, too, and to be loved.

They both did.

A small tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly. It was strange, though, what Jack and I were talking about. He was right, there sure were a lot of coincidences that we discovered.

But like I said before…

I don't believe in coincidences.

I uncovered the blanket and looked around for a second, trying to figure out how to go about getting off the couch. I groaned and threw my legs over Jack's, and stretched to touch them to the floor. I did then slowly raised myself from Jack, gently moving his arm from around me. I continued to get up, almost in slow motion, and sighed once I was balanced on my feet. I looked around for a pen and paper, when I spotted one on the kitchen counter. I walked over there slowly, careful not to let the wood floor creak, and grabbed the pen.

_Thank you, Jack. _

I wrote quickly, when I realized something.

It was Tuesday… and I had frigging school!

"Shit," I murmured. I looked around quickly, and then back to Jack.

Jack.

I sighed, bit my lip, and ran out the door after quickly looking at the clock.

EIGHT O' FRIGGING CLOCK!

I'm dead.

My mother… is going to kill me.

**SO? GREAT? GOOD? TERRIBLE? Le'me know! Posting chapter 10 later today as well… so be on the look out! Gosh, I love days off school! :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**ALRIGHTY! Chapter 10 here we go! I found out to day at the doctors I have Patellar Tendonitis… so there goes volleyball season! Ergg… and it sucks cause I still go to the practices… so it's not like I have more time to write… oh whatever! Let's just go(: Oh! BIG UNEXPECTED surprise in this chapter… Even Baylee doesn't know this one so you KNOW it's big! Lol, here we go! **

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

I was a little lost, but I tried to remember where I was going based on where I was. It was somewhat familiar, but seeing how I wasn't awake when Jack took me to his house… I really didn't have a clue. I finally came to the spot where I remembered bumping into Jack. I looked farther down the street and saw the restaurant. I ran some more and hopped up the steps two by two. I swung opened the door and completely ignored mother, grandma and Will sitting around a table, coffee in hands and worried looks on their faces. They all shot up as I stood in the doorway.

"Laurel!" Mother cried as she walked over to me quickly. "Where have you been?" She held my face and embraced me in a large hug.

"Wait," I said. "You're not… mad?" She pulled back slowly and brushed back my hair.

"Well yes," she said with a chuckle. "But I'm just glad you're alright!" I smiled and hugged her back, quickly thinking of a lie.

"I, I just, I was walking and all of the happiness went to my head and I didn't even see this man come at me! So, we whacked heads and it turned out he was my teacher, the art teacher, so he took me to his home and took care of me for the night, I owe him a lot." I explained, in such a way that I was basically telling the truth. Mom smiled awkwardly and leaned onto the counter.

"Oh," she said. "How… thoughtful. Well I'll just have to thank him at parent teacher conferences no won't I?" I smiled and quickly grabbed my coat and school bag.

"Uh… yeah. Anyways, have a nice day all!" I said hurriedly as I headed out the door.

Surprisingly… I got to school early. Like _really _early. Only a few teachers were in their rooms. I quietly made my way up the stairs and over to my locker. I grabbed a couple of things and headed towards my homeroom, when something in Jack's – Mr. Dawson's – room caught my eye…

Cassandra.

She was rummaging around his desk, scattering papers everywhere and it looked like she was… looking for something.

"C-Cassandra," I said reluctantly. She looked up, startled, her platinum blonde hair flying across her face. "Do you need help finding something? I know where Jack keeps some things." She looked at me still, her eyes wide.

"Y-you were at, at Jack's last night." She said nervously. I furrowed my brows and smiled weakly.

"Yes," I said, confused with where this was going as I stepped into the room. "Why?" She continued to look at me, a strange look on her face.

"Well… why? Why were you there?" I chuckled and stepped closer to her and the desk.

"It's nothing… weird… if you're thinking along those lines," I explained. "We… well, I was out, like a light, and he took me back to his house until I woke up." She was still staring at me, her dark, cold eyes piercing through me.

"Stay away from Jack." She said coldly. I peered at her angrily.

"What do you mean, "Stay away from Jack."?" I asked, quite annoyed with her now.

No… BEYOND annoyed.

I wanted to ring her neck.

"Look, I'm not an idiot," she informed me. "Laurel Dawson, Jack Dawson, I get it, alright?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I… I don't understand." I said. She took a step closer to me in a threatening way.

"Just… look, Jack doesn't need you, okay? I don't care if you want him back in your life but he obviously doesn't want you _or _your mother… he has me now, and we're going to have our own family." She said.

Tears pricked my eyes.

"M-my mom? What does she have anything to do with anything? What do you mean?" I said, nervously, as my heart ripped in two.

I knew what she was implying and I didn't like it at all.

We couldn't be related.

We couldn't.

He couldn't be my-

"I know he's your dad, Laurel!"

_Click!_

**SO? I know this had a somewhat large twist, so tell me what you thought… even though it was kind of short! Thank you! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Cliffhanger, huh? I know, I know, I ended it when her **_**Click! **_**Finally **_**Clicked! **_**Sue me. Lol, anyways, hope this chapter makes up for it! :)**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

**OMD: Okay, first off, I JUST realize that OMD stands for Oh My Damn… right? Lol, anyways, yes, you can! I would if she was real! I know, I know, kill me, kill me, but this chapter makes up for it! :)**

"W-what?" I asked sheepishly. Cassandra smirked and stepped even closer, causing me to stumble backwards.

"Just stay away from him, alright, or I'll tell." She threatened. I raised an eyebrow and somewhat confidently stepped closer as well.

"Tell who?" I asked. She smirked again and stepped closer.

I stumbled backwards.

"Jack." I peered my eyes and moved away from her, towards the door.

"Wait… he doesn't think we're related?" I questioned. She smiled again and continued looking around for something on his desk, a paper I suppose.

"He's joked about it, but not seriously, at least… for now…" I scoffed and picked up my books and bag from the desk that I put them on.

"Cassandra, he's my teacher, and _not _my dad, I'm going to see him." I tried to explain, sneaking in a "He's not my dad!". She looked back up at me and smirked.

"Change classes." She instructed. My eyes went wide.

"No!" I returned, taking her aback. "No I'm _not _going to let you blackmail me!" She smiled again.

Evilly.

"Oh, you're going to change classes, or I'm going to make your mother change them for you." I raised an eyebrow.

"My mother?" I questioned. She smiled and held her hand to her head, sort of shaped like one of those telephone things that all the important buildings have now.

"Hell, Miss. Dawson? Yes, I'm Carol Anne, the secretary at your daughter's school, yes Laurel has been flunking her art class terribly and I'm afraid we need to change her classes so she's with students at her level." She said in a fake, old woman's voice. I looked at her with disgust as a few loose tears slid down my face. I wiped them away quickly, hoping to show her I was tougher than that and that this wouldn't bother me… But I think I failed. I threw my bag over the shoulder and headed out the door.

"Oh and Laurel," she said. I stopped in the doorway. "I think it's best if you don't tell Jack I was here." I shut my eyes tight as a few more tears rolled down my cheeks, and walked out the door quickly to my home room.

When the bell rung a while later, and I caught up to Kara and James in the hallway, I tried my best to avoid them.

"Laurel!"

Damn.

James came running over to me and gave me a large hug, throwing off our balance which caused us to rock back and forth.

"My god I was so worried about you!" I frowned and breathed in the smell from his jacket.

It smelt like him.

A mix between his father's cologne and the hand soap in their bathroom.

"I'm fine James." I informed him. He pulled away slowly and raised an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. I looked away, trying to forget this morning, and smiled awkwardly.

"No, no I just, I have to run to the office real quick." He smiled and let go of our now, somehow, interlocked fingers.

"Alright, see you in art." He said. I frowned and headed towards the office.

"Not exactly," I mumbled.

I walked into the office and over to the front desk.

"Uh, hi," I said to the woman sitting at the desk. "I, I need a class change." She smiled and raised her glasses. Her dark hair glistened as she swiveled her chair over to the filing cabinet and her plaid skirt scrunched up ever so slightly.

"Name please sweetheart." She instructed. I smiled and tucked a loose curl, that had fallen out of my pony tail, behind me ear.

"Laurel Dawson." I said. She smiled and grabbed my folder.

"Class?" she asked. I frowned and raised my bag higher over my shoulder.

"Uh, art. I just need it changed to the other art class. Um, I guess, advanced or something. Just the class with the other teacher." I managed to say in a flustered state. She looked me over quickly and furrowed her brows.

"Alright," she said reluctantly as she made a little mark on my schedule with a red pen. "There, you're all set. Just give this note to Mr. Dawson explaining the change." She stuck out the note towards me, but I just looked at it.

"Can, can you give it to him?" I asked, trying to hold back tears. It hurt so much to change classes. I really didn't want to hurt Jack's feelings, but I didn't want to hurt them even more with Cassandra's little fable of our "relationship".

Father and daughter…

What a load of crap!

"Um, sure." She said hesitantly as she stuck the note in the pocket of her white silk blouse. I smiled and turned on my heel and out of the office.

_Jack's POV:_

I looked around on my now cluttered desk, however it had gotten that way, and grabbed the roll call list. Laurel had left relatively early this morning, but she never told me if she was alright, so I guess I'd just ask her in a bit.

"Alright," I said as the kids started to settle down in their seats. "Let's go with roll call." I called off quite a few names, when I got to Laurel's.

"Laurel," I said as I looked up from my seat and over to James, Kara, and… and James and Kara.

"Laurel?" I said again, mostly to myself now. James and Kara both had on the same confused faces as I did and they remained that way as I continued to stand up.

"You guys, you guys don't know where she is?" I asked. James and Kara both shared weird looks.

"She was here this morning," James explained. "But she was acting kind of odd." Suddenly, Miss. Lane from the office appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Dawson, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked as her glasses fell down slightly on her nose. I gulped and nodded, still wondering about Laurel, and walked out into the hall.

"This is for you." She said as she handed me a yellow slip of paper. I read it over quickly and furrowed my brows.

"A class change?" I wondered, again, mostly to myself. "Why would Laurel want a class change?"

"I'm not quite sure," she said, not realizing that I was talking to myself. "But I think the main reason was because she wanted different teachers… that's how it seemed, anyways." I looked up at her in a very confused state.

"What?" I asked angrily. She shook her head and frowned.

"I'm, I'm sorry Mr. Dawson, but I, I really don't know." I nodded and watched as she walked back down the hall. I ran my fingers through my hair and leaned against the wall, sighing angrily and frustratingly.

A class change…

What the hell?

I mean, after I got her art into the museum, and talked to her about her family issues, and brought her home when she broke her foot, and talked to her about Cassandra, and brought her home when she was out! And nursed her better, and talked to her some more, and talked to her about Rose… Rose! I told NO ONE about Rose, not even Cassandra, I mean, it took a lot for me to talk about Rose to Laurel, but I felt like I could. I felt something between us that made me think Rose wouldn't mind. And I mean after all of that she didn't want to see me any more…

WHAT THE HELL?

**ALRIGHTY! Well, I DEFINTETELY would have written more… but it's like 11 where I am and I haven't even finished all of my homework! AGH! Stupid school get's in the way of my fabulous writing careere(: Hehe, review guys! All of the reviews have been much appreciated and hey, we got 50! Thank you all SO much especially Baylee (You knew that was coming, didn't ya Bayles :D) Miss. Camille, (Yes, you knew too!) Jaclyn, OMD, Rachel (DA NINJA :D) , IceBlueCrystal and so many more I wouldn't even know where to start! A lot of you guys have followed me through Emma and Twist and W.M.O.A.W.M.F. (Which I will hopefully be updating soon :D) And for this story to now be my second (Or actually… I think first) most popular story means a lot. Thank you all again so much! Love you! :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! Well I'm in school right now... Out of P.E. For about two weeks so I have to do this project for gym instead... ugh... anyways, I thought, "Hey, I gotta computer at home, so why not write here instead?" So... I am! You are reading the work that was developed in my school library :) Oh, thank you all again for the wonderful reviews, they really make my day, especially if it's been a not-so-good-one. So thanks! And I know you all were like, "Cassandra... what a bitch-er-roonie-doonie!" And yes, I agree, but it will ALL come together soon, just you wait :) Anyways, librarian's back so I'm just going to start writing so it looks like I'm working... shh! :)**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

**OMD: Lol, that's fine! :) And I know, I know, Jack's taking it kind of hard… and ohmygosh I was JUST thinking that! They TOTALLY would… and they've both got something in common… they don't want Jack and Rose to be together… Bitch… Yeah Laurel DEFINETELY needs a slapping! My gosh she's so stupid! And lol, thanks, but don't! I need you non-idle to read this chapter! Lol! :)**

_Laurel's POV:_

I walked home feeling awfully sad. And I knew why. I had broken Jack's heart. Kara and James both had come running up to me when school let out, saying things like, "How could you do that?" and "What's going on?" but I just couldn't handle it. I just walked away, not speaking to either of them, and walked home alone. I was about a block away from the restaurant now, and the cold air was starting to chap my face. I pulled my lilac hat down over my blonde pony tail a little more to cover my ears, but it snapped back up. I sighed and grabbed the end of my sleeves with my hands, seeing as how I had forgotten my gloves this morning. My bag was weighed down intensely with books I had gotten in art. Yeah, books in art. This teacher, Mr. Landers or something like that, didn't actually let us "do" art, we had to learn about it, and study it and, and… crap.

This sucks.

I jogged up the steps of the porch and swung open the door harshly, seeing as if mom and Will weren't home, and grandma was probably out at the market. As I walked in, angrily, the door slammed shut from the wind, but I didn't mind… I would've slammed it anyways.

"Ugh!" I yelled in frustration. I just couldn't believe this! That, that, that… that bitch! What the hell does she think she's doing? I mean puh-lease! My father's dead… dead! And it's been that way for fourteen frigging years! I don't think he magically came back from the grave and became my art teacher! Just, just… ugh! She's insane! Insane! Or, or maybe _I'm _insane… yeah, no! She's insane! Insane!

Suddenly, there was a knock on my door. I whipped my head around to face it, after my continuous pacing back and forth the room, and gulped. I walked over slowly to the window and tried to look to see who it was, but I couldn't. I sighed and walked back over to the door. I gripped the gold handle slowly and turned it to the right. I cracked it open ever so slightly and opened it as if I was in slow motion. I saw a familiar pair of brown pants and a white top, with a tan pair of suspenders and sighed in disappointment.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, he looked up at me, startled, not realizing that I had opened the door.

"Oh, I, I just, I wanted to talk to you about today, about the class change." He explained. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.

Oh god… this is going to be hard.

"I-"

Oh I can't say it! Breathe, Laurel, breathe… and… go!

"I can't spend time with you anymore, Jack. You need to leave."

Silence.

…

More silence.

…

Even _more _silence.

"Ah," he said, not finding the words. He opened his mouth again to say something, but nothing came out. It was as if my words had ripped his voice out of his throat.

"Jack?" He ran his fingers through his hair and nodded stiffly as he now looked around the street, trying to avoid eye contact. He turned back to me and looked straight into my eyes.

My blue eyes.

His blue eyes.

Exactly the same blue eyes.

Right then, a strange, unsettling thought ran through my mind. I shivered at its disturbance and quickly shook it away, but a strange voice in the back of my mind just kept saying it to me over and over and over…

_The blonde hair, the blue eyes, the art… Maybe she's right Laurel, maybe he's your dad-_

_No! My dad's dead! He's always been dead! Mom would have told me if he wasn't!_

_Think about it Laurel. Remember when he said you reminded him of someone...someone named Rose… someone who wanted to go to Santa Monica and Paris… someone who had plump lips and curly red hair… someone who wanted to be an artist or an actress and not care about money…maybe that Rose is your mother, Laurel._

_My mother isn't dead, though! His Rose is dead!_

_There it is again… maybe they both think the other is dead! Jack's your father, Laurel… face it._

_No!_

_Yes!_

"Well I'll, I'll just leave then." Jack said, shaking me out of my trance. A tear of anger, and sadness, rolled down my cheek as he walked down the porch steps and back towards his house. I let out a strained, angered breathe, and slammed the door shut.

"Ugggghhhhh!" I yelled again. This is insanity! I hate this! I hate it all, every bit!

My father is dead.

Dead.

Jack cannot be my father… it's impossible.

My mom cannot be Jack's Rose… it's impossible.

This whole situation is just utterly impossible!

I, in my angered sate, grabbed the vase on the middle table and chucked it at the wall. It smashed into a painting, causing that to drop as well, then shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Nothing.

I was still just as angry.

I started to pace back and forth again, continuously running my fingers through my hair.

This is not happening.

None of this is.

I screamed again and chucked my books at the wall. They all fell open onto the floor and I stumbled backwards into the dresser. I grabbed on to it for support and sighed angrily as I looked at myself in the mirror. My blonde hair was not out of my pony tail, partially, and it was flung around my face. My face looked old and tired, and my breathing was terrible. Tears streaked my face and it looked like I had been running around in a hurricane

Life sucks.

With mom and Will getting married, all of my hope for a normal family is out the window…

Gone.

And with Jack marrying… Cassandra, I can't even see him anymore! I mean, what am I supposed to do, fight back! I can't, she'll tell Jack _and _my mother her crazy story and then Jack won't _ever _want to see me. I sneered at myself in the mirror and pushed myself away from the dresser, running out the door.

I continued running until I got to the boat yard.

I couldn't think of anywhere else to do this.

I ran through the docks, pushing past a few people and some street lights, until I came to a large boat, probably owned by one of the restaurants for seafood fishing. I looked around quickly, then pushed past the "No Trespassing" sign. I climbed up onto the boat and cried again, enraged with this all. I continued walking along the boat, suddenly realizing just how big it was. It was definitely a few hundred feet away from the pier. I ran back to the edge of the boat and took a deep breath as I gripped the railing. I raised my shaking leg over the ledge, and tried my hardest to control it as I stepped onto the railing. I brought my other leg over as well, then brought my arms around in back, making myself face the water. The wind was whipping my face, causing my hair to fly in the air crazily, and I sniffled. I didn't want to look down, still a little scared, but did anyways.

Oh god.

That's a long way down.

I don't know, thirty some-odd feet.

Oh god.

I lowered myself slowly so that I was parallel to the water, and took a shaky breath in.

_Go on, jump! _The voice in my head said

The same voice from earlier.

_Your mother is giving up all of her time for Will… your friends now don't understand your problems… and you drove your dad away._

_He's not my dad!_

_Right, right. It doesn't matter now though, does it? In just a few quick second Laurel it'll be ALL over._

_A few quick seconds?_

_Yes, Laurel. That water down there is freezing! I mean, you live in Wisconsin for god's sake! Chippewa Falls! What did you expect?_

_I don't really know…_

I slowly loosened my grip on the railing, ready, willing, when I heard a noise from behind. I whipped my head around and my eyes went wide.

"Don't do it."

**THIS. JUST. CAME. TO. ME. Ohmylord, this turned out WAY better than I thought! Well, what do you guys think? PLEASE REVIEW! Oh god I just love this! Hehe, believe me, I would have hinted something this big was going to happen, but it just came to me, like, thirty second ago. ANYWAYS, review, review, review! Quickly, so I'll be able to read them before Baylee KILLS me for not telling her about his HUGE surprise! Hehe, review! (Wow I said that about ONE THOUSAND times but this just turned out better than I thought so I want to know if you guys liked it just as much!) :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I know, I know, you're all in suspense, just wait like ten more seconds! Thank you guys for the reviews from last chapter, they really made me laugh. Yes, I know, like mother like daughter(: Anyways, let's just get going!**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

**OMD: Haha, thank you! I think it's definitely one of my favorite parts, too(: And I know! Just, shut up Laurel! And again, thanks. And lol, that's the WHOLE idea(: And maybe it's Jack… maybe it's not…**

I sniffled as my hair flew crazily around my face. He was standing there, cautiously, a cigarette in his hand.

"You shouldn't smoke." I said, veering him off topic. He cocked his head.

"And you shouldn't jump." He said in response. He tried to take another step closer, but I flinched.

"Stay back!" I yelled. "Don't come another step closer!" Jack stared at me for a long moment before stepping back to where he was. Finally, he groaned, and inched closer.

"Come on just, just give me your hand, I'll pull you back over-"

"No Jack! I said stay where you are! I'm serious, I'll let go." I quickly looked out at the sea and tried to hold back my fear. I looked back at Jack who was motioning to throw his cigarette off the ship, but just looked away. I saw it fly away out of the corner of my eye, but kept my eyes on the now dark sky.

"No you won't." he said. I whipped my head around in anger.

"What do you mean "no you won't"? Jack Dawson don't you dare, ever, presume to tell me what I will and will not do!" I retorted.

He chuckled.

"What about this amuses you Mr. Dawson?" I asked, anger cracking in my voice. He turned to me and smiled, not able to hold back the laughs.

"Just, I've been here before." He said, confusing me. I looked around.

"This boat?" I asked. He chuckled again.

"No, no. I've talked someone out of jumping off a ship before and our conversation was quite similar." I scoffed and looked back out at the ocean.

"I am going to jump, and what makes you think I won't?" I asked angrily. He shrugged his shoulders and sneakily moved a step closer, thinking that I didn't see him, but I did, I just didn't say anything about it.

"Well, you would've done it already." He explained. I stared at him for another moment, his blonde hair also whipping around in the wind, his clothes a little tattered, and something about him just felt so familiar.

"Go away! You're distracting me!" I yelled. He took another step closer.

"I can't. I'm involved now. You jump in and I'm going to have to jump in there after 'ya." He said as he took of his coat. I peered at him.

"What did you rehearse that or something?" I asked. He chuckled again and looked out at the sky.

"Like I said, I've been here before." I rolled my eyes and looked away. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes, feeling the cold air hit my skin.

"Anyways, you'd be killed." I replied, referring to him jumping in after me. He chuckled again.

"I'm a good swimmer."

"The fall alone would kill you." I retorted, hoping to get him to leave me alone.

"Well, sure, but I'm _a lot _more concerned about that water down there." He said. I looked down.

"Why?" I asked. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ever been in water like that before?" he asked. I looked back at him, still confused.

"What do you mean "water like that"?" I questioned. He took another step closer as he took off one of his boots.

"I mean cold water." He replied. I looked down at the dark water, splashing up against the boat making a large "lap!" sound.

"How cold?" I asked, trying to avoid eye contact. He took off another boot and shrugged.

"Freezing… probably a couple of degrees over," He answered. I looked back at the water.

Freezing?

"Uh… no." He looked up at me, his blue eyes filled with despair, and he smiled sadly.

"I have," He said. I stared at him for another long beat before turning away, his eyes to painful to look at. "And I'm telling you, water like that down there," he nodded his chin towards the ocean. "It hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you _all_ over your body. You can't breathe. You can't think… Least not 'bout anything but the pain." I looked at the water and sighed, reality sinking in.

"And honestly, I'm not that excited about going in there after 'ya… But like I said, I don't have a choice. I guess I'm just kind of hoping that you'll come back over the railing 'an get me off the hook here." I looked back at him and sighed nervously, now deathly afraid of the water, but I tried my hardest not to show it.

"You're, you're crazy," I muttered under my breath. He chuckled again and took another step closer.

"Well, that's what everybody says, but with all due respect, Laurel, I'm not the one hanging off of a boat here." I looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Come on, you don't want to do this."

"Well… alright." I said. I slowly crossed my arm over my body, then quickly grabbed his hands. He immediately turned me around and locked his hands behind my waist.

"Whew," he said in excitement. "Let's get you back up here." I smiled and held onto his now sweaty hand.

"Wait!" he said. He looked down towards my feet and so did I. "Don't trip, alright?" I chuckled and stepped up carefully. He smiled once I was safely over and we both stood there for a good minute, not a word being said between us.

Suddenly, he pulled me in close and squeezed the living daylight out of me. I smiled and hugged him back. I then pulled away and leaned on his shoulder.

Then, both of our eyes went wide. I peered down at the boat and gasped.

"Laurel?" Someone asked. I peered my eyes again, straining to see who the blurred shadow was, even though I knew the familiar voice…

_Shit…_

**So… who do you think it is? Is it Cassandra? Is it Rose? Is it James or Kara? Or is it someone completely new? Review! Hoo you'll never guess who it is! Anyways, watching Catch Me If You Can, with yes, Leonardo Di FREAKING Caprio… Love him(: Haha, review please! **


	14. Chapter 14

**I.****Am.****Amazing.****Yes,****yes,****you****all****are****wondering****who****this****mystery****man****… ****OR****woman****… ****is****… ****but****you****have****to****wait****about****five****more****seconds****to****find****out****… ****hehe,****yes,****I****'****m****evil****… ****sue****me.****Watching****Catch****Me****If****You****Can****… ****yes****I****know****I****already****said****that****… ****Alright,****confession****time****… ****I****'****m****officially****in****love****with****Leonardo****DiCaprio****… ****like,****in****LOVE****in****love****… ****I****LOVE****him****… ****GOD!****He****'****s****just****a****gorgeous****man,****even****with****that****wild****long****hair****… ****oh****god****he****just****found****out****his****mom****had****another****child****… ****my****heart****is****broken,****I****'****m****crying****… ****OH****MY****GOD****I****am****crying!****I****am****bawling!****I****am****sobbing!****He****'****s****in****isolation!****OH****MY****GOD!****I****'****m****dead****… ****my****heart****is****literally****broken****in****two****… ****I****'****m****dead****… ****oh****… ****wait****… ****OH****MY****GOD!****SURPRISE****FREAKING****ENDING!****Alright****let****me****just****write****before****I****start****smiling****ear****to****freaking****ear****because****this****ending****is****just****HAPPILY****SUPERB!**

**Love,**

**Lauren****:)**

"Laurel, who's that?" Jack asked, leaning in close so that he didn't have to speak very loud. The other man stepped another foot closer, and I was able to see his face even better.

Oh holy shit!

"Will?" I questioned. He took another step.

I'm dead.

"Laurel, what's going on? Your mother and I have been wondering where you are." Will explained. I sighed and walked towards him.

"I'm fine Will," I began. "I just, my, my art teacher was showing me his boat." Jack raised an eyebrow and then realized what I was doing…

Lying…

"Ah that's right, sir," Jack said, walking over towards Will and I. "I just thought Laurel would like to draw out here sometime." Will smiled fakely and put his arm on my shoulder.

"Well, thank you for that but Laurel knows she should have asked first," Will said. "C'mon Laurel, let's get you home."

The walk home was… awkward… that's the only word to explain it.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. I sniffled, still a little fazed from earlier, and nodded my head.

"Yes, Will, I'm fine."

We walked up the steps to the restaurant and opened the door.

"There you two are!" Mom said as we walked in the door. She was standing over the kitchen, her red hair in her eyes and sweat from the heat of the pot dripping of her nose. "I've been waiting forever! Laurel, where have you been?" I looked at Will quickly and shot him a look, a look full of begging and despair. He scrunched his face together slightly and nodded. I smiled and sighed in relief, then walked over to the counter.

"Oh I was just taking a stroll," I lied. "Will and I happened to bump into each other when he came looking for me. I'm fine mom, really." She smiled and kissed me on the forehead as she set two plates down on the counter.

"Alright, alright." She said. I chuckled and watched as she walked over to Will and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thank you." She said. He smiled and kissed her back.

"Anytime." He turned to walk back out as mom went back to the kitchen, then winked at me quickly. I smiled and waved subtly as he headed out the door. Mom piled our plates up with a hearty helping of Minestrone, my favorite soup, and sat down at the counter next to me.

"Here," she said, handing me the grated cheese and a spoon.

"Thanks." I replied. She smiled and began to sip the broth that was floating around in her spoon.

"So," she said, putting the spoon back into the bowl. "Where were you really?" I spit out the broth that was in my mouth and she began to laugh incredulously. I did as well until we were both literally crying from laughter.

"How did you, how did you know?" I asked, still smiling. She smiled and wiped her eyes then gently whacked her hands on the counter.

"Hey, I was young once too you know." She said. I laughed again and sighed.

"I don't know I just, I just feel… incomplete, you know? Like something is missing in my life! I need something… I need someone." I explained. She nodded and turned to face me.

"Yes." She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, "Yes."?" I asked. She smiled and gently held my hands.

"I mean, I know how you feel. I know what it feels like to want something, or someone, you can't have." She explained. I smiled halfheartedly.

"You do?" I asked. She nodded. "Who?" She smiled, mostly to herself, then looked back up at me.

"Your father." She answered. I frowned.

"Yeah," I said. "That's who I want too."

**Yeah, super short, I know… again, sue me. I have been writer's blocked ALL FREAKING DAY! Plus I had to babysit some random kids but that's off topic… and PLUS I'm trying to come up with this idea for a book, taking FOREVER… anyways, sorry, that was my little rant for you today(: I promise I'll post some big long chapter tomorrow for you guys! Again, sorry, but review anyways! At least this chapter's not a cliffhanger, you all have been telling me how much you hate those lately(:**


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright guys! SO, today, I added TWO new stories! I. Am. Amazing. I say that a lot, don't I? Lol, anyways, check them out! The first one is And It All Leads Back To you and the second one is You Are Safe In My Heart. READ THEM AND REVIEW THEM! Also, won't be able to update YASIMY a lot because it is a HUGE project while WNEMS and AIALBTY are smaller ones. Anyways, you guys don't really care, do you? Lol, just shut up and read! (:**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

I woke up extremely sad, and thought to myself, today is just going to be one of those days. Instead of beautiful snow outside, it was dark and gloomy rain. I sighed and got out of bed, quickly stripping off my shirt because of the cold air, when suddenly, I heard a knock on my window. I screamed and whipped my head around and found myself looking at James who was wide eyed in his window. I screamed again, realizing that I had no shirt on, and threw my hands to my breasts. James started to laugh hysterically while I groaned in anger. I ran to my closet, shut the door with my foot, and pulled on a bra and a blue sweater. I then came storming out of the closet and opened up my window.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked him in a yell as he chuckled, smiled, and began to shoosh me.

"Laurel, shut up," he whispered. "It's like five in the morning! Do you want to wake up the whole neighborhood?" I groaned and pointed a finger at him.

"Just, shut up," I said. "Meet me down stairs in five." He rolled his eyes and shut his window, as I did the same. I groaned again and brushed my blonde hair out of my eyes. I then quickly ran a comb through it, trying to straighten the curls, but, that was uneventful.

I stripped off my heavy PJ bottoms and pulled on a lighter pair of white pants. I pulled my blue sweater down past my waist and smudged on a dab of lipstick that mom had gotten me when I was younger. It was all nubby at the end, and quickly running out, but it was the only makeup I had.

I slid down the banister and into the dining area to find James and Kara already waiting for me. Kara was wearing a pink skirt over her white stockings and a yellow shirt. She had her arms crossed over her and she was obviously shaking from the cold.

"Kara," I said, throwing a jacket I had grabbed off the coat stand at her. "It's winter for god's sake! Put some clothes on!" She rolled her eyes as James and I both laughed and put the jacket on a table.

"Mhm." She mumbled. I smiled and pulled on a large gray jacket with black buttons then grabbed my schoolbag. Kara headed out the door, as did I, when James grabbed my arm.

"Ow," I said. "What?" He smiled at me and pushed back a loose curl that was dangling in front of my face.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked. I smiled, raised an eyebrow and cocked my head.

"Not before you saw my boobs." I replied. He chuckled, and I have to admit, so did I, then grabbed my hand before we both headed out the door.

I closed my locker shut, groaned, and took a deep breath before heading towards Mr. Landers room. Only problem was I had to past Jack's first. I tried to walk by quickly, hoping that he wouldn't notice, but it didn't help… 'cause he did.

"Laurel!" He yelled. I pulled my books up closer to my face and tried to scurry out down the hall. "Laurel, Laurel please wait!" I sighed, almost about to cry, and walked down the steps quickly, when he grabbed my elbow.

"Laurel, Laurel can't we at least talk about this?" I shut my eyes tight and pulled my arm away from his tight grip.

"No, Jack." I muttered. He groaned and followed me down the next flight of stairs.

"Laurel c'mon!" He yelled. I turned around wide eyed and clasped my hand over his mouth.

"Stop it," I instructed, looking around at a few of the kids who were staring at us. "You're causing a scene." I took my hand off his mouth and turned around again.

"Laurel," he said in a whisper. "Please." I took a deep breath and shut my eyes again, still standing only an inch away from him. I wanted so badly to just throw my books down and collapse into his arms, breath in his notorious "Jack" smell, a mixture of charcoal from his pencils, heavy beer, although I knew he didn't drink very much, and cigarettes, and tell him I loved him, because I did. I loved him the way I thought I could never love any man…

I loved him like a father.

"I'm sorry, Jack," I whispered. "But I can't talk to you anymore. I can't see you anymore. Please don't ask me why, just trust me when I say it's for the best." I gulped and took another step down the hall, then started off into a jog, and then a sprint, tears falling from my eyes. I turned the corner and realized I couldn't even take another step. I collapsed into the dead end wall and didn't care that my books slap made an echo in the halls. I ran my fingers through my hair, crying angrily, then pulled my knees to my chest so I was in the fetal position. I just sat there and cried.

Cried.

This was ridiculous.

I couldn't take it anymore.

I just couldn't… physically…

And mentally…

**Alright, short, I know, but it's kind of late where I am PLUS I added TWO new stories today! So really, this update is a gift! Now take it and say thank you! … You're welcome! Lol! (: Tomorrow I may not be able to post though because one, I have volleyball practice, which sucks because I can't play anyways, and then I have physical therapy. Tuesday, basketball tryouts. I probably won't even make the team again this year because of my knee, but I've been on the team with the same coach for five years now so I think that should count for something! (: Lol, enough with my rants, those are for "Dr. Phill" *Wink Wink* not you. Review please! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ugh… not even in the mood for an A/N this morning…**

**Love,**

**Lauren (No smiley face today)**

I tapped my pencil absentmindedly during last period English, staring at the clock hand that was going round and round, ready to ding on the twelve. The teacher was sitting at her desk, reading, while the rest of us were "reading" as well. Truth is, I put my book in my bag about a half of an hour ago. The hand reached the ten, and I quickly gathered my belongings together.

3…

2…

1…

DING!

The entire class got up in one little bunch and we all scurried out into the hall. I made a break down the stairs towards my locker, avoiding Mr. Dawson's class as much as I could, but when I walked by, no one was in there. I furrowed my brows, and thought to myself, _what would my mother say? _…

Hah, she'd probably say screw it.

I opened my locker quickly; tossed in the books I didn't need, and swiftly entered Jack's room. I closed the door behind me quietly and looked around.

No one.

I went into the back room as well and looked around.

No one.

I stepped back into the room, then screamed, and dropped my books.

"Stop doing that!" I yelled. James laughed then walked over and picked up my books.

"Haha, sorry." He said in between chuckles. I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him in the arm.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked. I bit my lip and gulped, pushing past him and towards the door.

"Just… nothing," I said, flustered. He raised an eyebrow while I just rolled my eyes, stepping into the hall.

"You know you can tell me anything," He said, walking up beside me. "Right?" I froze, turned to him, and looked into his dark brown eyes.

_Oh… if only I could…_

"Of course."

I had to go somewhere. I didn't know where, but I just had to go. I didn't even bother telling James and Kara to tell my mom I was going to be late for dinner, there was just no time.

No time at all.

I ran down the sidewalk, knocking into a few people in the process, and towards the lake. I didn't know why but I just did. I halted at the edge of the ice and the grass, and slowly stepped onto the hard, slippery surface. I took another step, slipped upwards, then regained my balance again. Lake Wissota. It was beautiful. Deathly, but beautiful. I walked out further into the center of the lake and looked at my reflection in the ice. Why was life so damn complicated? Why? Suddenly, the ice cracked.

"Laurel what are you doing?" someone asked from behind me. I whipped my head around, when suddenly, the ice cracked again. Without even having time to run and get the hell out of there, the ice fell out from under my feet. I plunged into the blue, icy waters and instantly my body went numb. Jack was right. It was like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. I shut my eyes tight, the water too cold, and I plunged deeper and deeper. I tried to kick to the surface, but I only got about a foot up from where I started. Eventually, my body went limp. It's not like I gave up, I just couldn't physically move. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grasped onto my arms and pulled me up. I took in a big breath of air once my head was out of the water, and let the person who was holding me firmly pull me up onto the ice. I coughed a couple of times and turned over on the cold, wet surface.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" A familiar voice asked as I continued to cough out water. "You're, you're insane Laurel! I mean god, you gave me a freaking heart attack!" I closed my eyes, sighed, and leaned my head back onto the ice.

"No," the person said, grabbing my head. "You have to sit up." He pulled me up higher and I helped sit up by pushing off the ice.

"I… know…" I said slowly, still trying to catch my breath. "Sorry…"

"Sorry, sorry? God Laurel I just risked my life for you and all you have to say is sorry! I mean I thought I lost you! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did!" they said, angrily. I opened my eyes, sniffled, and frowned again.

"James… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen…" I tried to explain to a flustered and wet James who was sitting in front of me. He stared at me for a long moment, his dark, compelling brown eyes burning into mine, when he pulled me close, embracing me in a large hug. I sighed, then began to cry, and buried my face into his wet coat.

"Oh James… I'm, I'm, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Laurel?" he interrupted. I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face and sniffled again.

"Yes?" He gulped, then cupped my face with his hands gently.

"I love you." He said. I bit the inside of my lip, now suddenly feeling fine, better… even… happy, and smiled weakly.

"James," I said in between a small chuckle. "I've loved you for ten years." He chuckled, then kissed me quickly, then pulled me back into our tight hug again.

"C'mon," he whispered a minute later. "Let's get you home."

As James and I walked down the street, kind of far apart, I felt an awkward tension between us.

"I didn't do it on purpose," I said. "I just… I needed someplace to go. I really didn't mean to fall in." He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes now large and soft.

"It's alright, I know." He said. I smiled weakly and he did the same, but he also kept his distance. I could tell he was still suspicious. I knew Jack wasn't the only one who noticed my… depression, for a lack of a better word, but he was the only one who did anything about it.

"No, she did it willingly," James and I suddenly heard. We looked at each other quickly and sneakily crept towards the alley corner. We looked down and I gasped. The two people in the end of the alley turned towards us, but James pulled us both back quickly. I looked at him again, confusion in my eyes, and we both slowly turned our heads back to the man and woman.

"I knew she would, too, it didn't take much," an eerily familiar voice cackled. I peered my eyes again, still not believing what I saw, but I knew…

I knew it was Cassandra.

"So… that means nothing! If I know Dawson, which I do, he won't give up quite that easily," a man said as he raised his hand towards his forehead, obviously frustrated with what Cassandra was telling him. "No matter how stubborn the… girl, is." Cassandra groaned and handed him a piece of paper.

"Just, here, I got the test results before he knew he even had them." She said as she handed him a white slip of paper. The man took them angrily and looked them over.

"Positive? Positive! It's a match! It's a dam f*cking match!" He yelled in anger, his voice cracking. "Just, but she… I mean I knew they looked alike but," He sighed in annoyance and ripped the piece of paper in half, putting both halves into his pocket. "You are not to let either of them find out that it is a match, do you understand? Or I'll cut the payment." He took out a wad of bills and Cassandra smirked.

"Understood." She said as she snatched the money from him. She wet her fingers and counted the bills, smiling when she was finished. "Perfect. Just what we planned." The man smirked as well and started down the alley.

"Yes, well, just, just, just make sure neither of them find this out… the first one they'd tell is her mother, and she doesn't even know the bastard's alive." Cassandra smirked as well and backtracked towards us.

"Well once I marry him and we move away, it won't be possible for her to find out, now will it?" The man rolled his eyes and strutted out of the alley. Cassandra slowly turned around, and before James even let me think about confronting her, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down the sidewalk and onto the other side of a building.

"What the hell was that about?" James asked quietly in between pants. I panted as well and leaned over, trying to catch my breath.

"I don't, I don't know for sure but, I…" I began, trailing off because I didn't want to be right.

"What?" James questioned. I turned to him and sighed.

"I… I have a hunch."

**Short, I know, sue me. (I say that a lot!) Lol, anyways, again, sorry, basketball (Yeah, now it's BASKETBALL, not volleyball) Anyways, basketball ran a little late and I had to take a shower and ice my knee and… yeah. Anyways, at least I posted! Haha, review please! (:**


	17. Chapter 17

**So I've been home all day due to my knee injury… blech… *WINK WINK* and I have literally gotten like, NO writing done! Ergg… well, actually that's a lie. I got A LOT of writing done today… but still… and then tomorrow I'm going to be out in the afternoon to go to some stupid play with my aunt… it's not that I don't want to go, it's just… yeah, I don't want to go… blech… whatever, let me just write to get my mind off of it… oh, and *WINK WINK*… I need some photos REAL bad! (:**

**Love,**

**Lauren (No smiley face again)**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

**Big Fan: Oh gosh! I'm SO sorry I forgot to reply to your review in the last chapter! Wasn't really feeling up to it. But thank you! I thought it was terrible though! (:**

I sat on the edge of my bed, my head in my hands in frustration, and sighed.

No.

No it can't.

Not possible.

No way.

This was insane. This situation was insane. All of it was driving me insane. I wiped away a small tear that had rolled down my cheek and sighed again. I closed my eyes tight, wanting to just curl up into a little ball and cry…

Just cry…

When I realized something…

I can't let this bitch get to me! I can't let whoever that man is get to me! If I want answers, then I'm going to get answers god dammnit! Whether I have to talk to Jack or talk to Cassandra or talk to…

Or even talk to mom…

I was going to get some answers…

And I was going to get them now…

I stood up quickly, wiped the tears from my eyes, fixed the wrinkles in my dress, and stormed out of the room. I marched down the stairs angrily, completely ignoring mom and grandma as I walked out.

"Laurel," mom said. "Where are you going?" I grabbed my coat off the coat stand and threw it on in one swift movement.

"Out." I said flatly, not wanting to waste my time explaining what was going on to my mother. I slammed the door shut, leaving mother and grandma speechless, and angrily walked off the porch. I didn't bother asking James or Kara to come… I realized I had to do this on my own…

All on my own…

I continued down the sidewalk, pushing past people who were in my way, and kept a stern look on my face. I turned the corner and knew exactly where she would be, and where I had to go. A few minutes later, I walked up the steps two by two and knocked on the brown door, hard. It opened slightly, and in the doorway stood the blonde headed devil herself.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking back into the room, presumably making sure Jack wasn't there.

"I know what's going on," I said, keeping my voice in a hushed tone. "I saw you talking to that man, and I want to know what's exactly going on." She peered at me angrily and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her.

"Look, whatever you think you know, stay out of it, trust me." She said, now almost sounding… dare I say it… caring…

"Why should I?" I asked angrily. She looked around and stepped closer.

"Laurel, I care about your father-"

"What?" I asked, interrupting her, not shocked, but a little taken aback. She cocked her head.

"Don't act like you don't know," she said. I sighed, knowing that deep down I knew Jack was my father from the moment he called my name that first day of class. "Just, Laurel, I do care about your father, I really do, and I know you're going to hate me for doing this and moving him away from you but Laurel if I don't, that man's going to do a lot worse." I gulped.

"Cassandra, who is he?" I asked. She took a deep breath and took another step closer, making sure no one around us heard.

"His name is Caledon, Caledon Hockley," she began in a low whisper. "He was… he… Laurel, did your mother ever tell you how she and her father met?" I looked back and forth in her eyes.

"No," I answered hesitantly, now wishing she had. Cassandra breathed in deeply, then breathed out, and smiled very weakly.

"Ask her to tell you the story… then you'll know." She smiled weakly again, and then stepped back into Jack's house. I sighed, still quite angry, and quickly walked back down the steps and over to the restaurant.

I then whacked open the restaurant door, and closed it with a thud. Mother and grandma looked up quickly from their knitting, but I kept my eyes fixed on mother the entire time.

"Grandma," I began, my voice eerily calm. "I need a minute with my mother." Grandma looked back and forth between me and mom, then eventually got up and headed up the stairs.

"Laurel," My mother said as I walked over to the table and sat down. "What's the matter?" I ripped the ball of thread and needles from her hands and threw them onto the ground.

"How did you and dad meet? And who, who is Caledon Hockles or Hockley or, or whatever!" I asked angrily, staring straight into her sparkling green eyes. They widened and she leaned closer.

"How do you know who-"

"Just answer me mom!" I interrupted loudly, whacking my hands on the table. She jumped back slightly, and then smiled weakly, for some godforsaken reason.

"Did I ever tell you that you have your father's temper?"She asked sweetly. I lowered myself into my chair more, now quite aggravated.

"Changing the subject isn't going to help." I informed her. She sighed and crossed her legs.

"Alright," She said. "Well, first of all, my name isn't really Rose Dawson," I peered my eyes at her suspiciously. "It is… it was… Rose DeWitt Bukater. I came from a rich family… a very rich family… and when I was seventeen, I was engaged to a steel tycoon's son, Caledon Hockley. When the engagement was announced, my mother, Caledon, and I boarded the Titanic to return home to-"

"The Titanic?" I questioned, now completely nervous.

What did this mean?

The Titanic sank…

How did my mother…

How did my father…

What?

"Yes," she confirmed, her voice now cracking with almost… fear… "We were supposed to return home, the three of us, for Caledon and I to get married… that is…" She looked away, tears obviously penetrating her eyes, ready to roll from her cheeks. "That is… until I met… until I met your father," she said again. "Jack, Jack Dawson."

Jack!

Jack Dawson!

My eyes went wide, still not believing what I had just heard… even though I knew it was true, and suddenly, the room began to spin…

"Laurel?" My mother asked…

Just before I fell backwards in my chair…

**Short, I know, but… how did you like it? Well, now Laurel OFFICALY knows! EXCITING! Pleas review, it will really make my day(: **


	18. Chapter 18

**OHMYLORD! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! I am TERRIBLE! Just… I'll spare you the long A/N so you can just read.**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

The next two days consisted of sleeping in bed, soup, and ginger ale. I had gotten a concussion from falling backwards, and the doctor told me to rest from school for a day minimum. Honestly, I was quite fine, but the extra day off was my idea…

Just one more day when I didn't have to see Jack…

Jack…

Is this how my mother felt when she knew she couldn't see him?

Is this what Jack Dawson does to you?

Does to his daughter?

"Sweetie," Mom said as she pushed open the door with her foot, her arms containing a tray of food. "Feeling any better? Do you think you'll be able to go back to school tomorrow?" I rolled over and sighed.

"Yes, I'm feeling quite better, thank you. But… I… I don't really _want _to go to school tomorrow." She set the tray down on my nightstand and pushed a red curl behind her ear.

"And why is that?" She asked. I licked my lips at the smell of the beef stew, and pulled the covers up higher over my chest.

"I… I… I have a, a project that I… I didn't finish." I lied. She chuckled slightly and sat down onto the bed next to me.

"Laurel, you've been out with a concussion for goodness sake! I'm sure your teachers will just be happy to see you better." I let out a breath of air to move a dangling piece of hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah… happy."

The next morning, I rolled out of bed a couple of hours early.

Ugh… Wednesday…

Three more days to go…

I pulled on a long blue sweater, with a little hole in the side that I had made from constantly pulling it down, and let the warmth of the wool cover my chest. I then opened the drawer to my dark brown dresser and took out my navy colored skirt. I pulled off my night slip and then yanked up the courteroy skirt. I was a little loose around my waist, but I just pulled it up higher. My sweater hugged at my hips but I didn't mind…

It made me feel… safe… like, like someone was hugging me…

I didn't get a lot of hugs these days…

I then looked up, glancing in the mirror, and stopped.

I looked a wreck.

My hair was fine, curly and smooth as always, but that was just genetics from my mother. _I _however…

Looked a wreck…

My blue eyes were now dull and faded, almost gray, and lifeless. They didn't sparkle anymore.

I wondered why…

My face was obviously tired. I had wrinkles! Wrinkles for god's sake! I'm freaking fourteen years old and I have wrinkles! Wrinkles! Under my eyes was blue and black; rings, as my grandmother would say.

I gulped.

What had happened to me?

I used to be a carefree teenager, with friends, and family, and who had a love of art and theatre… and now look at me…

I was practically an adult…

This experience had made me grow up overnight… and I didn't really like it. I hated it, as a matter of fact.

And I still couldn't believe I had let this get to me…

I couldn't.

Mother had finished her story that night, and it did bring me to tears. The love she shared for my father… and the love my father shared for her…

It was beautiful…

And I wasn't going to let some "Caledon Hockley" ruin it for them again…

And I _certainly _wasn't going to let him ruin this for me.

I walked feverishly down the street, my lilac cap, old and trustworthy, sitting on top of my head, and my bag bouncing back and forth at my side. I had a stern look on my face, one that expressed a strong human being…

Something I hadn't felt in ages…

I turned the corner and stopped, seeing something I wasn't expecting to see on my way to school. Two men at the end of the sidewalk, both extremely familiar, were having a heated discussion. But when the two suddenly turned, their profile exposing, I had to furrow my brows to make sure my suspicions were correct.

Cal…

And…

Will?

Cassandra then appeared as she turned around the corner, and instantly, both Cal and Will handed her a wad of cash. She pushed it away, in almost a protest, but the men pushed on. Cassandra grabbed it, and threw it to the ground, then started to yell.

She was protesting…

Protesting about fooling Jack.

Then, she spotted me, and I hid a little more behind the building, afraid Cal and Will would follow her gaze, but they didn't they continued to push on. Cassandra turned her attention back towards them and continued to argue. The men groaned and Will threw his hands in the air, shaking his head and leaning back against the brick building. Cal waved them away angrily and just walked out towards his Renault in the parking lot. It soon zoomed off, and Will and Cassandra continued to bicker, when Will gave up, leaving Cassandra alone as he walked around the corner. She watched him walk away, then looked back at me. At first, she looked worried, but then, she smiled.

Her smile reassured me…

I leaned back against the building, and groaned, it all suddenly making sense.

Will… Will? The one who "loved" my mother? The one who proposed to my Mother?

But I knew I shouldn't be questioning myself… deep down it made sense. He was there when Jack and I were talking, and he feverishly took me away.

He didn't want me near him… he didn't want me near my Dad…

Because he didn't want my Dad near my Mother…

Was everyone in my life lying to me?

Was everyone deceiving me?

Was I the only one I could trust?

**Short, yes, but at least it's something! Review guys! Please! Tell me what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**OHMYGOSH! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! It's been a week! My life's just been a little hectic right now with physical therapy and school and practice and ugh! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY! I really can't make it up to you, can I? SO… I'll just give you this SUPER long chapter! ENJOY! OH! I ALMOST FORGOT! This is rate T-A-EEN for language! Like, really. If you're not over 13… you've been warned(;**

**Love,**

**Lauren :)**

**Big Fan: Haha, thank you! They just kind of came to me(; You know, Baylee's right, you should TOTALLY get an account! (;**

**Neverletgo: Haha, thank you!**

I walked into school casually, as if nothing I saw had just happened. I didn't want to think about it, really. As long as I blocked it out… to me… it didn't happen.

I got through homeroom easily. Kept my head down, mouth shut; minded my own business. James just looked at me the entire time; didn't even bother with trying to start a conversation… because he knew it wouldn't go anywhere.

I hadn't spoken to him in days…

Days…

But I just couldn't bring myself to it.

I was a coward.

A wimp.

A chicken.

The next couple of classes were easy as well.

But that was until I got to art class.

Mr. Leonard's phone started to ring, and he answered it quickly, trying not to distract us from our reading of the history of orange.

Bullshit.

"Hello?" He asked coldly. He then looked up at me and nodded. "Um, yes, sure, but um, how, how long will she be? She has to finish our lesson. Alright, yes, of course." He hung up the phone and stood up, clearing his throat.

"Laurel," I stood up nervously. "Mr. Dawson would like to see you in his room."

I gulped.

I wanted to say no. I wanted to say no so bad! But I couldn't. I closed my book quickly, grabbed my bag, and scurried out of the door. I ran down the hallway quickly, and up the stairs. I hopped them up two by two, then walked down towards the end of the hall. I stopped in front of his shut door and took a deep breath. I turned the door handle and stepped in quickly, shutting the door behind me. He looked up from his papers that he was reading while sitting at his desk, and pushed down his glasses.

"Uh, hi," I said. "You um, you wanted to see me?" He nodded and stood up, outreaching his hand which contained a single paper.

"Here," he said. "It's your conference form. Even though I'm not your teacher anymore, it was handed in while I still was, so I have to be the one to have the conference with your mother."

My eyes went wide.

I stared at the pink paper, not wanting to grab it, but realized Jack was still looking at me. I took it, folded it up, and stuck it into my coat pocket.

"Right." I said, all choked up.

Dammnit.

Dammnit! Dammnit! Dammnit!

The goddamn fucking conference! How was this going to work! I couldn't do it! I couldn't let it happen! I had to tell him, I had to tell her…

Before they found out from someone else…

Or before they didn't find out at all…

"Jack, I have to talk to you about something." He stared at me for a long moment, then took off his glasses.

"What is it, Laurel?" he asked coldly.

Wait… Was he mad at me?

Of course he was mad at me…

I was mad at me…

"Jack… Jack there's something I have to tell you." He sat back down and sighed.

"Laurel… I'm not really in the mood."

"Why?"

"Just 'cause."

"Cause why?"

"Just mind your own fucking business Laurel!" He yelled as he stepped around his desk, standing in front of me.

I jumped slightly, taken aback by his outburst. Why was he being such a… such a… such a douche!

"What the hell is wrong with you!" I asked angrily. "Why are you treating me like this!"

"Well it's not like you never did this to me!"

"Yeah but I had a reason you asshole!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth young lady!"

"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my-"

I stopped.

Our faces were stern, his probably sterner, and our bodies stiff.

"I'm not your _what_ Laurel!" He asked angrily.

I gulped.

I took in a deep breath, tears forming in my eyes, sobs forming in my chest. Jack's face softened as he realized I was about to cry. I didn't want to, believe me. I didn't want to cry, but the first sob just came out subconsciously, just like when you talk in your sleep. You don't tell yourself to do it, and you can't tell yourself not to.

You just do.

I held my face in my hands, my books dropping to the floor with a large thud, and fell to my knees. I fell back against the door and continued to cry. I wrapped my arms around my legs, which were now pulled to my chest, and hid my face in my knees.

"Oh god, Laurel, I'm so sorry!" Jack said in a whisper as he slid across the floor so that he was sitting next to me. He scooted over closer and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I tried to push him away, but he just held me tighter.

"Shh," he said with his soothing voice. "Don't cry, Laurel, please, please don't cry."

I just cried more.

I buried my face into his shirt and he sat down, instead of just bending on his ankles. He rubbed the back of my head, my hair flying this way and that, and sighed.

"Laurel please, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry! I just… just… Cassandra called off the engagement this morning and I've just been in a pissy mood." I sniffled as tears continued to roll down my face, and looked up at him as I gripped the shoulder of his shirt.

"She… what?" I asked, in between sobs. He smiled weakly and rested his head on mine.

"Yeah."

I gulped more and intertwined my arms with his.

"Oh," I said. "Sorry." He chuckled and kissed my head.

"No you're not." I chuckled too and looked back up at him, a small smile on my face.

"Okay, you're right, I'm not." He laughed again and I positioned myself so that I was resting my head on his chest, but facing the other way. He kissed my head again and I sighed, finally smelling that "Jack" smell that I had longed for.

It was how I always imagined my father would smell like.

"Jack," I said in a whisper. "I need to tell you something rather important… before parent teacher conferences." I turned around and looked up at his confused face. His eyes were soft and blue again, and he had that small little wrinkle in between his eyes. He studied my face.

My cat-like green eyes.

My full, red lips.

My curly, soft hair.

Everything that made up his memory of my mother…

And somehow… even though he was literally staring it in the face…

He didn't seem to get it…

"Yes?" he wondered. I sighed, laughed a little bit, and looked back up at him.

"Jack, I'm, I'm your-"

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

Jack and I both looked up at the door. He stood up, outreached his hand and I took it. He pulled me up, smoothed back his hair, and opened the door.

"Can I help-"

Jack stood speechless, staring up at the two men in the doorway. One, tall with brown hair, that curled slightly around his face…

Will…

And the other; slicked black hair, cold brown eyes, who stared at Jack with pure hatred.

I mean, why wouldn't he? Jack did steal his fiancé…

"I thought I told you once, _Dawson," _an eerily cold voice rendered. "I always win… one way or another. "

**Hmmm? Pretty good chapter for not have updating in over a week, huh? Review guys! I really appreciate 'em! (;**


	20. Chapter 20

**OHMYGOSH… I AM SO SORRY! I cannot BELIEVE that I waited this long to update! ACGH! My life has just been extremely hectic lately… so sorry… Alright, I'll just get writing…**

**Love,**

**Lauren :) **

**(Rated M for Language. Like, seriously.)**

Cal grabbed me by the waist and pulled me out into the hall. I kicked and screamed but he placed his hand over my mouth.

"You son of a!" Jack yelled as he lunged at us, but Will pushed him back by the shoulders, and then punched him in the stomach. I yelled again, but only a muffled roar escaped Cal's fingers. He pierced my sides and my body immediately loosened. He scooped me up, but my knee whacked him in the nose.

"You stupid bitch!" he yelled. I fell to the floor as his hands flew to his bleeding nose, and I whacked my head. I stood up quickly and ran towards Will. I punched him in the back twice, but he spun around and grabbed my hands.

"How could you?" I yelled. He pulled me tighter but I pushed harder. "I trusted you! I loved you like my own father!" He kept straggling to get a good hold of me, but I wouldn't have it.

"Laurel… stop this!" He managed to say between frustrations. Suddenly, Will froze, and fell to the floor. I gasped, then looked up. Jack stood in the doorway, out of breath and sweating, a chair in hand.

"Run!" He yelled before throwing the chair towards Cal. Cal dodged it quickly, and shook his head. I grabbed Jack's hand and ran towards the door, as fast as I could. Cal tried to catch up, but I could tell he was dizzy, because all he did was stumble around in a circle. I pushed the door open and Jack and I ran down the steps as fast as possible. We stood on the sidewalk for a moment, both not knowing where to go, when the door opened again. We whipped our heads around, and saw Cal and Will both heading towards the steps.

"That way!" Jack yelled as he motioned towards an alley. He gripped my hand tighter and pulled me along, the dark night messing with our vision. I looked back at Cal and Will as they started to run. Suddenly, Cal reached for something in his pants. As the handle grew clearer, I shrieked.

"Jack! Jack! Cal has a gun!" Jack turned around, wide eyed.

"De- sha- fucking vu!" He yelled angrily as he ran faster.

"Cal, what are you doing?" I heard Will ask nervously. I turned around.

Wait… he didn't know?

I shook away the thought.

It didn't matter, he still tried to help Cal kidnap me. I ran faster with Jack, dodging a trash can in my way. We quickly turned the corner, and without thinking, climbed in through a window to an open pub. We fell to the floor with a thud, a few customers turning their heads. We both watched silently as Will and Cal argued about where we had went. Will grabbed the gun from Cal and threw it in one of the dumpsters as he waved his arms in the air. They angrily pushed each other a couple of times, before heading back down the alley.

"Whew," Jack said as he leaned against the wall.

"Ehhem," the bartender murmured. Jack and I looked up, just realizing what we had done. "There is a front door," the man finished. Jack and I both chuckled as we continued to catch our breath.

"Jack," I said, something coming to mind. "I can't go home!" Jack turned to me and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Why?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall as well.

"Will is over there," I said. Jack sighed and put his arm around me.

"Well, I have a couch," he said. I chuckled and playfully punched him in the arm.

"That's good enough for me!" I said. He laughed and pulled me closer.

"Jack," I said quietly, hoping no one else could really hear. "I was trying to tell you something… before." Jack rubbed my arm.

"Oh?"

"Yes," I replied. "Jack… I don't know how to say this, but, but I'm-"

"Laurel!" I furred my brows and stood up quickly, walking over to the door. My eyes went wide and I stepped outside.

"James! What are you doing here?" James ran up the stairs as he panted in and out, the little breath he had freezing in the air.

"Your, your mom, she's, she's," he began. My eyes went wide.

"She's what?" I asked nervously.

"Really, really, angry," he said. I groaned and pushed him hard.

"Jesus James! You gave me a fucking heart attack!" I yelled.

"Laurel," Jack scolded. I rolled my eyes.

"You better have a good reason for being late. My mom and Rose made dinner a half of an hour ago!"

"Rose?" Jack asked.

I froze.

"Your mom's name is Rose?" James looked between me and Jack.

"Yeah," James answered for me, even though I wish he hadn't. "Rose Dawson." I turned around slowly and looked at Jack, who was looking at me sternly.

"Rose Dawson?" He asked. James furrowed his brows and leaned closer.

"Does this guy have a hearing problem or something?" He asked quietly. I took a step towards Jack and sighed.

"No," I answered flatly. "My mom's real name _isn't _Rose Dawson."

"What?" James asked. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Then what is it?" Jack asked, even though he very well knew the answer.

"Take a wild guess," I said. "Seriously Jack, do you not see it?"

"See what?" James asked, hopelessly lost.

"James! Please!" I said. "Jack, the blonde hair. The blue eyes. The art. The mystery woman named Rose who you said I looked like. Acted like."

Jack looked back and forth between my eyes and my lips.

"Jack, she's alive," I said, my voice trembling. "She's alive… and she's my mother. Jack, Rose DeWitt Bukater is my mother," his head began to shake. "And you sir, you sir are my father."

There was silence.

Complete and utter silence.

"What?" James asked.

**Yay! It happened! You've all been begging for so long and now… here it is! Again, so sorry for not updating sooner! I had all day, and then my bloody internet stopped working… stupid computer. Anyways, I will hopefully update this week since I have no practice and I PROMISE to update before Thanksgiving! Wow, can you believe Christmas in 34 days away? I can't! Oh! And did you all see the Titanic 3D Trailer! IF not, go watch it on YouTube! Also, I'm changing my profile picture to then Titanic 3D Movie Poster! Hopefully you can see it all… anyways, review please!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guess what! I'm a jerk. I know, I know, I know. I am beyond sorry for not updating in so long. It was a mix between DWB (Dreaded Writer's Block as Baylee and I say) and my life just being absolutely NUTS! Like… wow. Just… just read…**

**Big Fan: Lol, thank you darling! Haha, they just came to me(; Anyways… it's alright, I get it, teenage lives are indeed hectic. And OHMYGOSH! RIGHT? I was thinking, "God-dammnit! I wish Leonardo DiCaprio would hold me like that and sing lullabies in my ear and then kiss me and… ah…" Yeah, that's my fantasy(; But thanks for your review! What'd you see, Breaking Dawn? My friend said it had the trailer on it(;**

**Love AND MANY, MANY, MANY APOLOGIES!**

**Lauren(;**

**P.S. Rated M for language… kind of, no, Rated M for language. **

"What?" James asked again as he watched Jack and I stare at each other nervously. Jack's face was calm, and it made me worried. In fact, he didn't look shocked at all.

A realization then hit me in the head like a speeding train.

"You already knew," I whispered. Jack gulped and looked away, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

"Laurel, we really have to go." James said, partly because we did really need to go, but also because he knew it that this was getting awkward.

"You knew," I said again, this time louder.

I was angry.

No, I was beyond angry.

"You already knew!"

"Laurel calm down," Jack said, trying to get me to not create a scene.

"You already fucking new!" I yelled. Jack furrowed his brows and looked back up at me.

"I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry? You're sorry! You knew I was dying inside knowing you were my father and I couldn't tell you, when you already knew and you're, "Sorry"?" I screamed, getting more furious with each word I spoke. "Did you know about my mom, too?"

He looked at me for a moment before giving his answer.

"Yes."

My jaw slightly dropped, but I shut it quickly, trying to remain composed.

"You knew my mother, the woman you risked your life for, was alive, and you were going to marry someone else. You were going to let _her _marry someone else-"

"Well I didn't know that someone else would try to kill me!"

"It doesn't matter Jack!" I argued. "It doesn't matter. If you really loved my mother… you would've said something."

"Don't you dare, ever, for one second, think I don't love your mother." He said, taking a step closer, and placing a hand on my cheek, as a tear ran down it.

"You're right," I said. "If you loved _me… _you would've said something."

That shut him up.

I slowly took his hand off my face, and walked down the last three steps over to James, who stood in the same spot for almost a minute as I walked off. He eventually jogged up to me, but I didn't speak to him. I didn't even look at him.

All I did was cry.

He placed his arm around me gently, and I tugged at his fingers. It began to flurry, ever so slightly, but just enough for James to stick out his tongue to catch a few flakes. I chuckled, and he smiled at me. I rolled my eyes, and then stuck out my tongue as well. He laughed, too. I then wiped away most of my tears as we grew closer to the house. I began up the steps, when James gently grabbed hold of my elbow.

"Laurel," he said softly so no one inside could here. "Are you, are you alright?"

I stared at him for a long moment, a few more tears flying here and there, before I finally shook my head. He smiled weakly, and let go, then let me walk into the restaurant. A tiny bell ringed over head, and I looked up, even though I anticipated it.

"Where have you two been?" My mother snapped as we walked inside. She threw off her greasy apron, and walked around the counter. She came over to me and placed her hand on my forehead.

"Are you sick or something?" She asked in an angry tone.

"No, ma'am," I replied.

"Then why on Earth didn't you call? You had me worried half to death!" I looked away, then walked past her towards grandma.

"I Granny," I said as I kissed her on the forehead. She smiled and patted my hand.

I smiled politely at Kara and her mother, then walked towards the stairs.

"Go wash up for dinner!" My mother yelled as I ran up the stairs. I walked into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me. I locked it quickly, then leaned against the door. I slid down it slowly and sat on the tiled floor. I began to cry again, and a few sobs escaped my mouth, creating a loud sound. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and buried my face in between them.

This hurt more than anything had ever hurt before.

This hurt more than my mother getting married.

This hurt more than Jack getting married.

This hurt more than Will betraying me.

This hurt more than anything had ever hurt before.

"Laurel! Get down here this instant!" My mother yelled again. I sniffled, and wiped underneath my nose. I pulled away from my legs and sat up, wiping my entire face with my hands. All I wanted to do was crawl up into a little ball again and sleep… just escape. I just wanted to get away from this all.

When it hit me…

I could.

**Short chapter, yes I know, but there is a HUGE surprise coming up in the next chapter. And I mean like, HUGE! GET READY! Please, please, please review! Also hoped you liked it! Ohmygosh I just can't wait 'til you all see the next chapter! HEHE! AH! It's killing me more than it is you, trust me. Just, okay just review then get out of here!**


	22. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**A/N: I WILL be posting soon! Please don't think that I forgot about you all or anything like that! I've just been EXTREMELY busy with my own writing projects, kicking up my acting career (Which is going pretty well, I have an audition) school, and tons and tons of family drama. But I promise I will update this week! Please forgive me. PLEASE..**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello everyone! Yes I am back from my little hiatus! It's taken me awhile, but hey, I'm not dead or anything(; This chapter is going to be a little short, but read below, and you'll see why(;**

**Love,**

**Lauren(:**

I ran.

I don't know how fast, but I ran. I didn't even remember packing my bags, or jumping out the window, or even running towards the train stations, but I did it.

I did it all.

I ran to the tickets station, panting heavily.

"California- anywhere in California." I said hastily, checking behind me, that lingering thought that Jack or Mom or Will or Cal was running after me.

"Ma'am, you're going to have to be more specific than that. Do you want to go to San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Monica-"

"Santa Monica! Give me a ticket to Santa Monica." The man's face peered at me.

"Aren't you a little young to be going to Santa Monica alone?" he asked. I pulled out a wad of cash, probably worth 50 or 60 dollars.

"Now am I to old?"

He ripped the piece of paper.

"One ticket to Santa Monica."

**Sorry! But this is all you're getting! I know it's short, but truly, I'm building suspense for a huge surprise, and trust me… it's worth it. Review please!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello all! Sorry for the long wait, but something VERY interesting happened today, and I was urged to write. This chapter is specially for DreamLikeATeen(; **

**Love,**

**Lauren(;**

I awoke with a jolt. The train had been going steady for a while, but as I looked out the window, I saw we were riding along top of a mountain, and that it was going to be bumpy for a while. I had been doing a lot of thinking since the day I left town, and it still hadn't even sunk in yet. I mean, I might not ever see any of them again. No James, no Kara… not even Mom or Jack.

It scared me.

I had done an impulsive thing, but hey, I was impulsive.

Oh who am I kidding?

I'm the most practical person out there.

So I finally had come to the conclusion that when we stopped in Philadelphia, I'd get off immediately… and go home.

Sure, my life had gone a little awry recently, but that didn't mean that I couldn't keep it on track myself.

I'd tell my mom. I'd tell her about Jack. I wouldn't give a fuck about what would happen! Cal could go to hell, Will could go to hell. Hell, _Jack _could go to hell for all I cared!

Running away wasn't the answer. Running away is never the answer. Because I mean, sure, you'd be gone. Out of there. Forever. But your past always follows you. Your _problems _always follow you.

You can't escape them.

You can't escape yourself.

So I sat there on the train, looking out the window at the fairly nice, change of paced scenery, and would wait until we arrived in Philadelphia. I would watch the birds fly by, and watch the other passengers draw, or write. I would even draw, or write a little, and I'd think about the things I was currently missing out on. Were they looking for me? Was Mom? Was Jack? I didn't know.

And I wouldn't.

Not until I went home.

**Yes, yes, I knooooooowwwww it's short, but you all have to trust me when I tell you I am working up to something huge! You won't even BELIEVE me when you read it! So just stay patient, and in the meantime… Review(:**


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